The Assessment of Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms in Daily Life

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.