Addictive Behaviors, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 383–398, 1999 Copyright © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0306-4603/99/$–see front matter PII S0306-4603(98)00077-X 383 Pergamon PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF A QUITTING TIME FOR ALCOHOL QUESTIONNAIRE: FACTOR STRUCTURE, RELIABILITY, AND VALIDITY TIAN P. S. OEI, JAN SWEETON, GENEVIEVE A. DINGLE, and KERRY A. CHALMERS University of Queensland Abstract — Research into the dynamics of alcohol use has traditionally focused on etiologi- cal factors, particularly on the reasons an individual engages in drinking behaviours. Although reasons for the permanent cessation of drinking have also been well documented, little is known about the reasons for the episodic cessation of alcohol use that is characteristic of non- problematic drinking patterns. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a questionnaire designed to monitor the reasons an individual temporarily stops drinking at the end of a drinking episode. A 23-item Quitting Time for Alcohol Questionnaire (QTAQ) was developed and distributed to a community based sample of 252 participants. Factor analysis revealed three conceptually distinct factors, QTAQ-IS (Internal Status) QTAQ-AA (Avoid- ance Adherence) and QTAQ-IC (Immediate Context), which accounted for 36.3% of the variance. Cross-validation on a large sample of undergraduate students (N = 479) confirmed the three-factor solution (accounting for 33% of the variance). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the factors ranged from .74 to .81 for the community sample and from .62 to .78 for the stu- dent sample. The validity of the emergent factors was demonstrated by their ability to classify participants according to self-reported alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence criteria, and also by their significant predictive relationship with these criteria. The present findings suggest that the QTAQ is a useful instrument both for research and for use in clinical practice. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd Alcohol consumption is an inextricable facet of Western industrialised society. Cul- tural norms and customs not only sanction, but also encourage the consumption of al- cohol (Hamilton, 1986; Heather & Robertson, 1989; Levine, 1978; Peele, 1984, 1988). Estimates suggest that between 4% to 11% of drinkers consume in excess of 80 grams of alcohol per day; an amount that has been associated with alcohol-related problems (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1992; Australian Government Publishing Service, 1988; Moore, Makkai, & McAllister, 1989). Attempts to understand the dynamics of alcohol use, particularly dysfunctional use, have primarily focused on etiological issues (Greenfield, Guydish, & Temple, 1989; Hamilton, 1986; Oei & Baldwin, 1994; Young & Oei, 1993). Medical models (e.g., al- coholism as a disease) and cognitive models have been proposed to explain why peo- ple begin to drink alcohol. These models have received empirical support (Brochu, 1990; Jacobson, 1989; Oei & Baldwin, 1994; Peele, 1988). Although undeniably impor- tant, etiology is but one area to consider in the understanding of problem drinking. Control, as defined by Kanfer (1986, pp. 29–30), is also an important factor in prob- lem drinking: “Control is the exercise of a controlling response or strategy that re- duces the probability of executing a behaviour that is either very firmly established as This project was partially supported by grants from the Australia Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council to Professor Oei who is also a Team Leader, Cognitive Behavior Therapy Unit, Toowong Private Hospital. Requests for reprints should be sent to Tian P. S. Oei, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia.