Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Revised Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale Michael B. Madson, Randolph C. Arnau, and Sasha J. Lambert The University of Southern Mississippi Psychometrically sound measures of the use of protective behavioral strategies are only in a development stage at this point. One such measure, the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS), has shown particular promise in this area. This study aimed to build on the PBSS by (a) evaluating revisions to the measure intended to yield more reliable scores from the serious harm reduction (SHR) subscale and (b) evaluating the factor structure of the revised measure and the stability of the factor structure across White non-Hispanics and African Americans and between women and men using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. Three additional items were added to the SHR subscale, which improved its functioning. A 2-factor model best fit the data, and the factor structure of the measure was invariant across White non-Hispanic and African American men and women. Suggestions for further refinement of the measure and future research are provided. Keywords: college alcohol abuse, protective strategies, assessment A major concern on university campuses is the abuse of alcohol among college students. It is estimated that as many as 69% of college students drank alcohol in the past month, and 45% drank enough to get drunk (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulen- berg, 2009). These numbers increase to 82% and 67% when looking at alcohol use in the past year (Johnston et al., 2009). While rates of heavy episodic drinking have remained relatively stable since 1993, negative alcohol-related consequences have significantly increased since that time (Hingson, Zha, & Weitz- man, 2009). Researchers, administrators, and prevention special- ists are increasingly recognizing the importance of student use of protective behavioral strategies to reduce alcohol consumption and negative consequences (Martens, Taylor, Damann, Page, Mowry, & Cimini, 2004). Protective Behavioral Strategies Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are tactics that can be used while drinking alcohol to decrease negative alcohol-related consequences and possibly limit alcohol consumption (Martens et al., 2004). Some examples of PBS include determining not to exceed a certain number of drinks, alternating between alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, stopping drinking at a predetermined time, avoiding drinking games, and using a designated driver (Martens, Pedersen, LaBrie, Ferrier, & Cimini, 2007). PBS are of increasing interest in relation to college student drinking because an inverse relationship between PBS and negative alcohol-related consequences has been well documented in the literature (Araas & Adams, 2008; Benton et al., 2004; Howard, Griffin, Boekeloo, Lake, & Bellows, 2007; Martens et al., 2004). However, limita- tions of these studies suggest that the results be interpreted with caution. Further, until the development of the Protective Behavior Strategy Scale (Martens et al., 2005), PBS use was often qualita- tively assessed. Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS) The PBSS was developed by Martens et al. (2005) as a quan- titative measure of PBS use to determine the relationship PBS have with alcohol-related negative consequences and alcohol consump- tion. Participants are asked to respond to 15 items indicating “the degree to which you engage in the following behaviors when using alcohol or ‘partying.’” Higher scores on this measure represent a greater use of protective strategies, and lower scores mean a lesser use of protective strategies. Results from an exploratory factor analysis indicated that a three-factor model best fit the data (Mar- tens et al., 2005). The factors were Limiting/Stopping Drinking (LSD; = .81), Manner of Drinking (MOD; = .73), and Serious Harm Reduction (SHR; = .63). LSD items include “determine not to exceed a certain number of drinks” and “leave the bar/party at a predetermined time.” MOD items include “avoid drinking games” and “drink shots of liquor.” The “drink shots of liquor” item is the only reverse scored item on the PBSS. SHR items include “use a designated driver” and “know where your drink has been at all times.” Analyses of convergent validity found negative correlations with consumption variables and negative consequences and mod- erate correlations between the three PBS factors, suggesting that they measure related but distinct constructs. Martens, Ferrier, and Cimini (2007) tested a one-factor, two-factor (Manner of Drinking including Serious Harm Reduction items and Limiting/Stopping This article was published Online First February 11, 2013. Michael B. Madson, Randolph C. Arnau, Sasha J. Lambert, Department of Psychology, The University of Southern Mississippi. Sasha J. Lambert is now at the Federal Correctional Complex, Oakdale, LA. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Michael B. Madson, The University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Psy- chology, 118 College Drive #5025, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5025. E-mail: Michael.madson@usm.edu This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Psychological Assessment © 2013 American Psychological Association 2013, Vol. 25, No. 2, 556 –567 1040-3590/13/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0031788 556