Temptations to Drink Inventory (TDI)

Description

The Temptations to Drink Scale is a concise instrument developed to measure the propensity for heavy, episodic drinking through various social situations that can encourage excessive alcohol consumption. Originating from an extensive 21-item inventory created by Migneault, this short-form scale comprises 12 items categorized into four distinct sub-scales: peer pressure, social anxiety, negative affect, and positive/social situations. This reduction not only simplifies the assessment process but also maintains psychometric validity, as evidenced by confirmatory factor analyses, internal and external validity, and strong correlations with the original tool. The measure is designed to be applicable for heavy drinking prevention programs, making it a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the field of substance abuse prevention.

Authors and Contact Email

Maddock, Jay.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this scale is to measure the temptation for heavy, episodic drinking.

Test Year

1999

Administration Method and Scoring

The scale consists of 12 items in which respondents indicate their level of temptation to drink in various situations using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from “Not at all Tempted” (1) to “Extremely Tempted” (5). Scores from these items can be summed to compute a global temptations scale.

Reliability and Validity

The scale has demonstrated high internal and external validity, confirming its effectiveness as a psychometrically valid tool for assessing temptations to drink. It has shown good reliability through confirmatory factor results and measures of external validity that align with heavy drinking prevention programs.

Factors and Subscales

The scale includes the following sub-scales:
– Peer Pressure: Items 2, 5, 7
– Negative Affect: Items 4, 6, 8
– Positive/Social: Items 1, 3, 9
– Social Anxiety: Items 10, 11, 12

Keywords

Temptation, drinking, scale, alcohol consumption, psychometrics, situational factors, heavy drinking.

Items of ‘Temptations to Drink Scale’

1. When I am excited
2. When I am with others who are drinking a lot
3. When I am really happy
4. When I am feeling depressed
5. When other people encourage me to have a drink
6. When I am very anxious and stressed
7. When I am offered a drink by someone
8. When I am feeling angry
9. When things are going really well for me
10. When I am anxious about sex
11. When I am feeling shy
12. When I am nervous about being socially outgoing

References

Maddock, J. E., Laforge, R. G., & Rossi, J. S. (1999). Short Forms of a Situational Temptations scale For Heavy, Episodic Drinking. Journal of Substance Abuse, 11, 281-288.
https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/temptations-to-drink-instrument/
Note: This instrument has been developed on non-dependent drinkers and should not be used with dependent populations until further psychometric validations have been conducted.