Confirmatory factor analyses for ordered-categorical measures probed for differential item functioning on a standardized measure of alcohol dependence across Hispanics (n = 834) and non-Hispanic Caucasians (n = 14,001) in a nationally representative survey of alcohol use in the United States conducted in 1992. Analyses investigated whether 30 items operationalizing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) construct of alcohol dependence provided equivalent measurement. The results demonstrated statistically significant differential item functioning for 7 items, suggesting caution regarding the cross-ethnic validity of alcohol dependence. Sensitivity analyses suggested that item-level differences had a limited impact, lending confidence to previous findings. The findings underscore the necessity of cultural sensitivity when generalizing measures and constructs developed in the majority to Hispanic individuals and demonstrate the need for evaluations of differential item functioning in contemporary data.
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