The 1992 NLAES included an extensive list of questions designed to assess the presence of symptoms of alcohol abuse and dependence during the 12-month period preceding the interview. We developed these questions, in part, to operationalize the DSM–IV criteria for alcohol-related disorders. Although the DSM–IV classification was not published until the second quarter of 1994, all of the specific diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence were known prior to beginning the NLAES interviews (APA 1991) and therefore were incorporated into the final survey instrument in their entirety. What was not known prior to taking the NLAES into the field was which of the diagnostic criteria would be relegated to abuse and dependence categories. However, once all relevant DSM–IV diagnostic criteria were incorporated into the NLAES, computer algorithms could be designed to represent accurately the placement of the criteria within abuse and dependence categories consistent with the finalized diagnostic criteria. Correspondence of the DSM–IV criteria with individual NLAES questions is shown in the sidebar.
