A comparison of a brief and long version of the Situational Confidence Questionnaire

Assessing confidence to resist drinking in high risk situations is an important part of behavioral treatments for alcohol problems. The present study assessed the reliability and validity of the original 100-item Situational Confidence Questionnaire (SCQ) and of an 8-item brief version (BSCQ). Using a visual analog scale, the BSCQ asked respondents to report their confidence to resist urges to drink heavily using the original eight SCQ subscales (e.g., pleasant times with others, social pressure). Data were collected from 120 adult problem drinkers who voluntarily entered an outpatient alcohol treatment program. The comparability of the BSCQ and the SCQ-100 was evaluated through intraclass correlations between the eight subscales and comparison of both instruments’ underlying factor structures. Correlation coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.56 to 0.80. Both instruments showed similar, but not identical factor structures. The present results indicate that the BSCQ provides comparable information to the SCQ-100. Limitations, as well as the clinical advantages, of using the BSCQ over longer versions are discussed.