Reliability and validity of a Short Form of the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire

Abstract

The Tobacco Craving Questionnaire (TCQ) is a valid and reliable 47-item self-report instrument that assesses tobacco craving in four dimensions: emotionality, expectancy, compulsivity, and purposefulness. For use in research and clinical settings, we constructed a 12-item version of the TCQ by selecting three items from each of the four factors that exhibited optimal within-factor reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and inter-item correlation. Smokers (N = 196) completed the TCQ-Short Form (TCQ-SF) after overnight tobacco deprivation and on a separate day during ad libitum smoking. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated acceptable model fit for a 4-factor model, with congruence coefficients suggesting high to very high similarity in factor patterns and magnitude of factor loadings between the TCQ and TCQ-SF in both conditions. Scores on each factor were significantly greater after tobacco deprivation than ad libitum smoking, were associated with measures of tobacco withdrawal, and varied with degree of nicotine dependence. Cronbach's alpha coefficients and average inter-item correlations were similar in both conditions and were consistent with reliability values obtained in the initial validation of the TCQ. Test-retest correlation coefficients were also similar to those found in a previous study. These findings suggest that the TCQ-SF is as valid and reliable as the 47-item TCQ in measuring tobacco craving.

Cue exposure and response prevention with heavy smokers: a laboratory-based randomised placebo-controlled trial examining the effects of D-cycloserine on cue reactivity and attentional bias

“…3 Average CO levels were consistent with verbal reports, indicating recent abstinence (SRNT Subcommittee on Biochemical Verification 2002) TCQ (Heishman et al 2008). Each of the 12 items can be rated from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).…”

“…Tonic craving (in the absence of overt smoking cues) was assessed using the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire-Short form (TCQ-SF; Heishman et al 2008; see below). The 12-item short form is a reliable and valid alternative to the original 47-item 1 The modal time between session one and two and between session two and first follow was 48 h. The range was 48-72 h. 2 Morning and afternoon sessions were balanced across groups (p>0.1).…”

Anxiety Sensitivity as a Predictor of Acute Subjective Effects of Smoking

“…Participants were instructed to respond based on how they feel "right now" on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The TCQ's internal consistency, criterion validity, and factorial validity have been supported in prior work (Heishman et al, 2008).…”

“…The TCQ is a 12-item questionnaire that measures tobacco craving via four subscales: (a) emotionality-smoking to avoid negative affect (α change = .77); (b) expectancy-smoking in anticipation of positive affect (α change = .89); (c) compulsivity-inability to regulate tobacco intake (α change = .63); (d) purposefulness-motivated decisiveness to smoke for positive effects (α change = .54; Heishman, Singleton, & Pickworth, 2008). Participants were instructed to respond based on how they feel "right now" on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).…”

Black Cigarette Smokers Report More Attention to Smoking Cues Than White Smokers: Implications for Smoking Cessation

“…They are a subset of a dataset in which results have been previously reported. 26,[28][29][30] Most pertinent to the present paper, summary statistics for SABQ scores and the SS reaction time task were presented in Robinson et al, 30 stratified by race. The correlation between SABQ ratings and dependence was presented in Leventhal et al 29 Study procedures are described in Leventhal et al 29 The inclusion criteria were: Black or White; age 18 or older; smoking 15 or more cigarettes per day; smoking for at least 2 years; score 3+ on the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) 31 ; and smoking cigarettes that deliver at least 11.0 mg tar and 0.7 mg nicotine as rated by the Federal Trade Commission method.…”