Objective: The Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R; Cooper, 1994) is frequently used to assess adult drinking motives despite being designed for younger drinkers. This study aimed to develop and validate a Drinking Motives Questionnaire for Adults (DMQ-A). Method: A convenience sample of 1,617 adults (25-65-year-olds; M age = 51.4, SD = 10.8; 67% female) and 145 young-adults (18-24-year-olds; M age = 20.8, SD = 2.0; 72% female) who reported drinking at least monthly were asked how often they consumed alcohol due to 53 drinking motives. Using item endorsement and exploratory factor analysis on half of the split sample of adults, 20 items were selected for the DMQ-A. Results: The DMQ-A was found to have social, coping, confidence, taste, and enhancement dimensions. The DMQ-R conformity dimension was replaced by one of drinking for confidence and a novel drinking for taste dimension was identified. The second half of the split sample was used to demonstrate the DMQ-A's adequate model fit (CFI = 0.93), good internal consistency (α = .81-.90) and 6-month test-retest reliability (r = .65-.74), correlation with corresponding DMQ-R dimensions (r = .90-.96), and better model fit for adults than young-adults (ΔCFI = .03). The DMQ-A also demonstrated higher endorsement for each of its dimensions and better model fit than the DMQ-R among adults (ΔCFI = .05). Like the DMQ-R, DMQ-A coping and enhancement dimensions correlated with alcohol consumption and harmful drinking (r = .19-.42). Conclusions: The DMQ-A is a promising tool for future research or clinical application involving adult alcohol use. Public Health Significance StatementThis study provides validation of a newly developed questionnaire which aims to measure the drinking motives of adults. Dimensions of the drinking motives questionnaire for adults (DMQ-A) include social, coping, confidence, taste, and enhancement. The DMQ-A may provide a more appropriate alternative for adults to the widely Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R) which was designed for younger drinkers.

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