The Mini Alcohol Craving Experience Questionnaire: Development and Clinical Application.

Background Standardized alcohol craving scales are rarely used outside of research environments despite recognized clinical utility. Scale length is a key barrier to more widespread application. A brief measure of alcohol craving is needed to improve research and treatment of alcohol use disorders ( AUDs). Grounded in the Elaborated Intrusion Theory of Desire, the Alcohol Craving Experience ( ACE) Questionnaire comprises two 11-item self-report scales that assess past-week frequency and maximum strength of alcohol craving. This study aimed to create a brief version of the ACE while maintaining psychometric integrity and clinical utility. Methods Patients attending a university hospital alcohol and drug outpatient service for the treatment of AUD completed the ACE as part of a questionnaire battery. Three patient samples were utilized: 519 patients with pretreatment and outcome data, 228 patients with pretreatment data, and 66 patients who completed the ACE at treatment sessions 1 and 2. Results The Frequency scale of the ACE possessed greater clinical utility and predictive validity than the Strength scale. Revision of the Frequency measure produced a 5-item 'Mini Alcohol Craving Experience' ( MACE) Questionnaire. Satisfactory validity (construct, predictive, concurrent, convergent, and incremental) and reliability (internal and test-retest) were maintained. A 1 standard deviation increase in pretreatment MACE score was associated with a 54 percentage increase in the odds of patient lapse or dropout. Conclusions The MACE provides a brief, theoretically, and psychometrically robust measure of alcohol craving suitable for use with AUD populations in time-limited clinical and research settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]