The Smoking Abstinence Questionnaire: measurement of smokers' abstinence‐related expectancies

Abstract

AIM-To develop and validate a measure of smokers' expectancies for the abstinence process upon quitting smoking: the Smoking Abstinence Questionnaire (SAQ).DESIGN-Principal component analysis and other psychometric analyses of self-report data. SETTING-San Francisco, California.PARTICIPANTS-507 adult smokers of at least 10 cigarettes per day diverse in gender, sexual orientation, and ethnoracial status. Gain. The SAQ factors demonstrated internal consistencies ranging from .62 to .85 and were associated with tobacco dependence, motivation to quit, abstinence self-efficacy, withdrawal symptoms, dietary restraint, shape and weight concern, and tobacco use expectancies. The SAQ predicted smoking-related constructs above and beyond tobacco use expectancies, suggesting that abstinence-related expectancies and tobacco use expectancies are distinct from one another. MEASUREMENTS-TheCONCLUSIONS-A newly developed questionnaire, the SAQ, appears to reliably capture smokers' expectancies for abstinence (Withdrawal, Social Improvement/Nonsmoker Identity, Adverse Outcomes, Common Reasons, Optimistic Outcomes, Coffee Use, and Weight Gain) and expectancies related to the success of a quit attempt (Treatment Effectiveness, Barriers to Treatment, and Social Support). It remains to be seen how far any of these expectancies predict attempts to quit, withdrawal, treatment utilization and response, and quitting success above and beyond existing measures.

Development and initial validation of a cessation fatigue scale

“…General perception of withdrawal severity was assessed with 7 items from the Smoking Abstinence Questionnaire-Withdrawal subscale (SAQ (Hendricks et al, 2011); α = .92), a measure of smokers’ expectancies for the abstinence process upon quitting smoking. Difficulty quitting was assessed with a single item: “How hard was it for you to quit smoking on your most recent quit attempt?” Responses options were 1 ( Easy ), 2 ( Slightly Difficult ), 3 ( Difficult ), or 4 ( Very Difficult ).…”

“…General perception of quitting social support was assessed with a single item from the SAQ-Social Support subscale (Hendricks et al, 2011): “The people close to me would do everything they could to help me quit.” Responses were rated on a Likert scale from 0 ( Not likely at all ) to 6 ( Extremely likely ). Willpower was assessed with two items developed to index implicit theories of willpower in relation to self-reported effects of mental exertion, specifically: a) strenuous mental activity, and b) resisting temptations (Job et al, 2010); α = .56.…”

Hospitalized smokers' expectancies for electronic cigarettes versus tobacco cigarettes

“…Conversely, if tobacco smokers view e-cigarettes as unsuitable replacements for tobacco cigarettes (e.g., inferior withdrawal relief, equivalent health risks), then the prevalence of e-cigarette use should be expected to plateau or even decline. Indeed, tobacco use expectancies predict increases in cigarette use and dependence over time and are among the best predictors of tobacco smoking cessation (Heinz, Kassel, Berbaum, & Mermelstein, 2010; Hendricks, Wood, Baker, Delucchi, & Hall, 2011). …”

An Algorithm Approach to Determining Smoking Cessation Treatment for Persons Living With HIV/AIDS

“…Participants also completed the Fagerström Test of Cigarette Dependence (FTCD [22] ) and the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale (MNWS[23]) which assessed dependence on cigarettes and nicotine withdrawal, respectively. The Thoughts About Abstinence questionnaire (TAA [24] ) was administered to assess motivation, abstinence self-efficacy, perceived difficulty of quitting, and goal for smoking. Goal for smoking was assessed using a multiple choice answer option ranging from complete lifelong abstinence to reduction in smoking to no change in smoking behavior.…”