The negative direct effects related to withdrawal, larger amounts, cut down, and continued drinking despite psychological/physical problems among younger compared to older current drinkers may be related to greater AUD severity. Overall, although the incorporation of direct effects in the model improved model fit somewhat, it did not appreciably change the associations between gender and race/ethnicity, and the AUD factor. Saha and colleagues (2006) also note that despite some variation in symptom/criterion expression, there was little or no differential scale functioning among these groups.
