Gender measurement invariance of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in Ecuadorian university students

The purpose of this study was to verify the gender-based measurement invariance of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the differences in latent means in a sample of university students in Ecuador. This study used a descriptive, psychometric, comparative, and cross-sectional methodology with 1.206 undergraduate students. 41.7% were men and 58.3% women, aged 18–28 years old. Regarding the results, the factorial structure of the AUDIT was confirmed based on the original three-factor model. Furthermore, the AUDIT demonstrated strict measurement equivalence based on gender. Differences in latent means exist between groups. Finally, these results support the measurement invariance of the AUDIT by gender in Ecuadorian university students.