Development and Psychometric Properties of a Short Situational Urge to Smoke Scale (SUS) for Smoking Adolescents

Abstract

As urges are associated with positive-social, negative-affective, and habitual situations, we developed a sound scale to assess urges in these situations. In Northeastern Germany in 2005/2006, a sample of 1,093 smoking adolescents from 7th to 10th grade, aged 12–18 years, was used. Reliability analysis and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied. A three-factorial structure of the final situational urge to smoke scale (SUS) was found. Internal consistency of the scale was high (α = .89). The SUS is a new internally consistent scale that assesses the urge to smoke in adolescents. Further research needs to examine its predictive validity. The study's limitations are noted.

RÉSUMÉ

Développement et propriétés psychométriques d'une échelle pour l’évaluation du besoin de fumer situationnel chez les adolescents

Etant donné que le besoin de fumer est associé à des situations positives sociales, négatives affectives et à des situations d'habitude, nous avons mis au point une échelle pour évaluer le besoin de fumer dans ces situations. L’étude a été réalisée pendant l'année scolaire 2005–2006 dans le nord-est de l'Allemagne. L’échantillon portait sur 1093 jeunes fumeurs des classes 7 à 10 entre 12 et 18 ans. Les chercheurs ont effectué une analyse relationnelle ainsi qu'une analyse exploratoire et confirmatoire des facteurs. L’échelle présente une structure trifactorielle. La consistance interne (coefficient alpha de Cronbach) de l’échelle était de 89. L’échelle est une nouvelle échelle interne valide pour l’évaluation du besoin de fumer situationnel chez les adolescents. Des études ultérieures détermineront la validité prédictive.

RESUMEN

Desarrollo y características psicométricas de una versión reducida de una escala para registrar el deseo situativo de fumar en jóvenes

Dado que el deseo de fumar está asociado a situaciones sociales-positivas, afectivas-negativas y a situaciones de hábito, hemos desarrollado una escala a fines de registrar el deseo de fumar en estas situaciones. El estudio se realizó en los años 2005/2006 en el nordeste de Alemania. La prueba aleatoria se compuso de 1093 jóvenes que fuman provenientes los grados escolares 7 a 10 con una edad entre 12 y 18 años. Se efectuaron un análisis de fiabilidad, así como un análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio. La escala ostenta una estructura trifactorial. La consistencia interna (Alfa de Cronbach) de la escala alcanzó un valor de 89. La escala constituye una escala nueva de validez interna destinada a registrar el deseo situativo de fumar en jóvenes. Estudios futuros deberán determinar su validez predictiva.

Keywords :

• urge
• smoke
• adolescents
• scale

THE AUTHORS

Deniz Tagmat is a psychologist. After her university degree, she started to work in various scientific areas in 2004. From 2005 to 2006, she conducted together with J. Wolff a study with 2,520 participants to prevent smoking in adolescents (directed by Dr. J. R. Thyrian). She is also a certificated smoke-free trainer. Her main fields of interest are the development, optimization, and evaluation of an online-based computerized expert system (“stopp.net”) to prevent smoking in adolescents, nicotine dependence, and the urge to smoke in adolescents and measurement development, and validation. She developed a situational urge to smoke scale (SUS).

Judith Wolff is a psychologist. After her university degree in psychology, she started to work in scientific areas in 2001. From 2005 to 2006, she conducted together with D. Tagmat a study with 2,520 participants to prevent smoking in adolescents (directed by Dr. J. R. Thyrian). Her main fields of interest are the development of an online-based computerized expert system (“stopp.net”) to prevent smoking and nicotine dependence in adolescents.

Dr. Anja Schumann is a psychologist. After her academic degree in psychology, she started to work in scientific areas in 1998 and received her Ph.D. in 2004 with a work about “Long-term analyses about naturalistic changes in tobacco smokers based on the Transtheoretical model of behaviour change (TTM)” and her postdoctoral lecture qualification in 2008 about “Smoking tobacco interventions with population impact.”

Prof. Dr. Ulrich John had his professional education as a psychologist. He is the director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald. Since 1979, addiction research has been his main working area. Since 1986, he was the head of the Research Group for Substance Abuse and Dependence (based on grants) at the Medical University of Lübeck until 1997, when it was transferred in part to Greifswald. The research that Ulrich John was responsible has been supported with grants that amount to more than 7 million euros. In 2002, his research on tobacco-attributable mortality and smoking prevention was honored with a research award of the German Medical Association of Smoking and Health.

Dr. Jochen René Thyrian is a psychologist. After gathering clinical experience as a neuropsychologist, he started to work in scientific areas in 2000 and received his Ph.D. in 2005 with a work about “behavior change in risky drinking smokers”. His main fields of interests are the development of health and its moderating factors from the prenatal and perinatal period to adolescence, the prevention of unhealthy behaviors and their consequences in schools, and the population impact and associated factors of prevention. He is the study coordinator of the Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SNiP), a birth cohort study of more than 5,000 newborns and has received several awards for his work from national and international organizations.

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