This study demonstrates predictive validity of daily assessments for alcohol use disorder symptoms in young adults, highlighting key divergences from retrospective self-reports.
Understanding how alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms manifest in daily life is criticalfor improving assessment and intervention strategies. This study examined the correspondence between retrospective self-reports of AUD symptoms and their daily manifestations using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in a community sample of young adults (N = 496, Mage=20.3, 45% female). Participants completed daily reports of AUD symptoms over an 8-week EMA period and follow-up retrospective assessments six months later. Results showed significant convergence between retrospective and daily reports for several symptoms (e.g., hazardous use, social/occupational problems, failure to fulfill obligations, time spent obtaining alcohol). Among these, some also demonstrated predictive validity, with daily experiences of symptoms (e.g., social/occupational problems, time spent obtaining alcohol) significantly predicting retrospective AUD severity at follow-up. These findings provide novel support for the convergent and predictive validity of daily assessments of AUD symptoms and highlight areas where retrospective and momentary reports diverge.
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Kang et al. (2025) studied this question.
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