Situational Temptations to Drink Scale – Short Form (STDS-SF)
Measures temptation for heavy, episodic drinking across various social and emotional situations.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Situational Temptations to Drink Scale – Short Form (STDS-SF) was developed by Jay E. Maddock, Robert G. Laforge, Joseph S. Rossi (1999). It is designed to measure Temptation for heavy, episodic drinking. The scale is intended for use with Non-dependent drinkers.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Peer Pressure, Negative Affect, Positive/Social, Social Anxiety.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Peer Pressure | 2,5,7 | 3 |
| Negative Affect | 4,6,8 | 3 |
| Positive/Social | 1,3,9 | 3 |
| Social Anxiety | 10,11,12 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all Tempted, 2 = Not Very Tempted, 3 = Somewhat Tempted, 4 = Very Tempted, 5 = Extremely Tempted.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 12 to 60. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Temptation: 12 – 24
- Moderate Temptation: 25 – 48
- High Temptation: 49 – 60
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal and external validity replicated from the original 21-item scale.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.