The Crack Use Relapse Scale (CURS) : development and psychometric validation

Abstract

Objective: To report the development and validation of the Crack Use Relapse Scale (CURS) in an inpatient population. Methods: A pilot study with 30 male crack users was conducted to generate 35 sentences related to the construct of interest. A five-point Likert scale including 25 items and, initially, nine theoretical factors was generated and utilized in a cross-sectional study with a sample of 333 hospitalized male crack users. Results: Overall Cronbach’s alpha was a = 0.86. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with oblimin rotation kept the 25 items (factor loadings . 0.40) and six definitive factors, which explained 62.1% of the total variance. Conclusions: The six-factor model yielded by the EFA of the CURS reflects the various dimensions of the construct, assigning satisfactory values and demonstrating good psychometric properties, including validity and reliability.