Gender differences in factor structure of the Self-Administered Alcoholism Screening Test

✍ Scribed by Lisa M. Allen; Christopher J. Nelson; Poupak Rouhbakhsh; Stephanie L. Scifres; Roger L. Greene; S. Thomas Kordinak; Leo J. Davis Jr.; Robert M. Morse

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 67 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199806)54:4<439::aid-jclp6>3.0.co;2-i

✦ Synopsis

Recent studies have revealed differences between men and women alcoholics in symptoms, consequences, and help-seeking behavior related to alcohol usage. Based on these findings, it was hypothesized that gender differences also would appear on alcohol screening instruments. The Self-Administered Alcoholism Screening Test SAAST: Swenson & Morse, 1975) of 1,920 men and 1,775 women was subjected to a within-gender, principle-components, factor analysis with a varimax rotation. Gender differences at the component level were revealed. Men endorsed the "help-seeking for alcohol-related problems" component while women endorsed the "help-seeking for emotional problems" component. In addition, men expressed concern about receiving a psychiatric label while women expressed concern about receiving a drinker label. The results suggest that different items need to be used in screening women for alcohol-related problems.