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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Quantitative Psychology and Measurement
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1354545

Assessing self-determined motivation for drinking alcohol via the Comprehensive Relative Autonomy Index for Drinking

Provisionally accepted
Jimikaye Beck Courtney Jimikaye Beck Courtney 1*Michael A Russell Michael A Russell 2David E Conroy David E Conroy 2
  • 1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
  • 2 The Pennsylvania State University (PSU), University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Self-Determination Theory examines human motivation in multiple domains; however, the only existing measure assessing Self-Determination Theory-informed behavioral regulations for drinking focuses on responsible drinker behaviors, rather than drinking per se, which is important given the alignment between Self-Determination Theory and harm reduction approaches to alcohol use. The aim of this study was to test the structural validity of the Self-Determination Theory-informed Comprehensive Relative Autonomy Index for Drinking (CRAI-Drinking) among college students. Methods: Participants included two convenience samples with a total of 630 adult drinkers (Mage=21.5, 55% female, 88% undergraduates). Participants rated drinking behavioral regulations on the 24 original CRAI-Drinking items on a 5-point Likert Scale. Multi-dimensional scaling analyses and factor analyses were used to investigate the underlying autonomy continuum and factor structure of the CRAI-Drinking. Results: In Sample 1 (n=274), multi-dimensional scaling analyses confirmed that CRAI-Drinking item and subscale order aligned with Self-Determination Theory's autonomy continuum. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a five factor, 19-item model of the CRAI-Drinking with factors for intrinsic, identified, positive introjected, external, and amotivation regulations (Cronbach's α: 0.68-0.85). In Sample 2 (n=356), a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the 19-item model fit was comparable to Sample 1. Discussion: This study provides evidence for the structural validity of CRAI-Drinking scores for assessing Self-Determination Theory-based behavioral regulations for drinking in adults.

    Keywords: Alcohol Drinking, Motivation, self-determination theory, confirmatory factor analysis, Validation

    Received: 13 Dec 2023; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Courtney, Russell and Conroy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jimikaye Beck Courtney, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.