Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Barriers to Abstinence and Reducing Drinking Scale

Hazardous alcohol use is prevalent and there are a variety of barriers associated with reducing or stopping alcohol use. Although extant literature has begun to examine perceived barriers for reducing or abstaining from alcohol use, no validated measures exist. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate a new measure of perceived barriers for reducing or abstaining from alcohol use – the Barriers to Abstinence and Reducing Drinking (BARD) scale. Participants (N = 582; 52% female, 77.4% White/Caucasian) completed various self-report measures including the BARD, alcohol use, and several theoretically relevant constructs reflecting alcohol related behaviors, psychopathology, and psychosocial factors. Overall, results supported excellent validity and reliability for the BARD. Further, factor analysis indicated a one-factor structure, and measurement invariance across sex and race was established. This study was the first to examine the psychometric properties of the newly developed BARD scale. Given the relevance of perceived barriers for reducing or abstaining from alcohol use, the BARD may be a useful tool across both clinical and research contexts. Future work aimed at replicating and extending these findings across different settings and samples is critical to understand the clinical and research implications of the BARD.