Validity of the obsessive compulsive drinking scale (OCDS): Does craving predict drinking behavior?

Objective: The Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), a 14-item, self- report questionnaire, was developed to measure alcohol-related craving. The OCDS may provide a measure of the state of illness among alcohol-dependent individuals and may have value in predicting subsequent drinking behavior. The present study was conducted to evaluate the factor structure and the c oncurrent, construct, and predictive validity of the OCDS. Methods: Data on desire to drink and on drinking behavior were obtained from 127 alcohol-de pendent subjects who participated in a 12-week outpatient pharmacotherapy t rial and a 3-month posttreatment follow-up. Results: Principal components a nalysis of the OCDS indicated that three factors best described its structu re: obsessions, drinking control and consequences, and alcohol consumption. Data also supported the concurrent and discriminant validity of the OCDS. However, the OCDS total score showed limited validity in predicting drinkin g during a posttreatment follow-up period. Furthermore, the only empiricall y derived factor that predicted drinking during this period was the alcohol consumption factor. Conclusions: As might be expected, the OCDS questions on drinking behavior predict subsequent drinking behavior, However, the ins trument does not appear to provide a general measure of alcohol-related ill ness. The utility of the OCDS in studies of alcoholism treatment outcome re quires clearer definition.