Initial psychometric properties of the Inventory of Anticipatory Coping Skills for Abstinence from Alcohol and Other Drugs

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the initial psychometric properties of the Inventory of Anticipatory Coping Skills for Abstinence from Alcohol and Other Drugs (Inventário de Habilidades de Enfrentamento Antecipatório para a Abstinência de Álcool e Outras Drogas – IDHEA‐AD). The total sample included 457 individuals in treatment for problems related to alcohol or crack use. An Exploratory Factor Analysis, Maximum Likelihood Extraction and Promax rotation were used, which produced a structure of 30 items distributed across three factors: “assertiveness and planning for high‐risk substance use situations”, “expression of positive feelings towards abstinence” and “emotional self‐control in adverse situations”. After analyzing validity evidence based on the internal structure and reliability based on internal consistency, it was possible to conclude that this structure included important behaviors for the relapse prevention.