Psychometric Validation of the Temptation and Restraint Inventory in Two Samples of College Drinkers1

Drinking restraint, commonly measured by the Temptation and Restraint Inventory (TRI; Collins & Lapp, 1992), refers to a cycle of temptation to drink alcohol and attempts to control alcohol use that results in excessive consumption. Recent research has examined college drinkers using the TRI, however, it has been validated only in adult samples. This study validated the TRI in two samples of college drinkers, designated as “hazardous” (n = 480) and “harmful” (n = 231) drinkers. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the previously reported higher order two-factor structure was identified in both samples. In addition, multiple regression analyses using derived component scores demonstrated that TRI performance was associated with degree of alcohol dependence in both samples. These data support the use of the TRI in college samples.