Readability of Self-Report Alcohol Misuse Measures

Objective: Self-report measures of alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorders are valuable assessment tools for both research and clinical practice settings. However, readability is often overlooked when establishing the validity of these measures, which may result in measures written at a reading-grade level that is higher than the ability level of many potential respondents. The aim of the current study was to estimate the reading-grade level of validated measures of alcohol misuse and associated problems. Method: A total of 45 measures were identified, and reading-grade level was calculated using three validated readability formulas. Results: The majority of measures were written above the recommended reading-grade level for patient materials (5th-6th grade), with particularly poor readability for measure instructions. Conclusions: Given that many self-report alcohol misuse measures are written at a high reading-grade level, the consideration of readability is important when selecting measures for use in research and practice settings. Moreover, the development or modification of measures to target low-literacy populations may facilitate the broader applicability of these instruments.