College Alcohol Problems Scale – Revised (CAPS-r)
A brief self-report instrument measuring drinking-related negative consequences in college students.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The College Alcohol Problems Scale – Revised (CAPS-r) was developed by Jay E. Maddock, Robert G. Laforge, Joseph S. Rossi, & Timothy O’Hare (2001). It is designed to measure Alcohol-related problems. The scale is intended for use with College students.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 8 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Personal Problems, Social Problems.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Problems | 1,2,3,4 | 4 |
| Social Problems | 5,6,7,8 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never, 1 = Yes, but not in the past year, 2 = 1-2 times, 3 = 3-5 times, 4 = 6-9 times, 5 = 10 or more times.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 40. Interpretation guidelines:
- No problems reported: 0 – 0
- Presence of alcohol-related problems: 1 – 40
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Internally consistent.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.