Reliability and validity of the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire and validation of a craving-induction procedure using multiple measures of craving and mood

Aims  To determine the reliability and validity of the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire (TCQ) and the validity of imagery scripts to elicit self-reported tobacco craving.

Design  Active imagery of three auditory scripts that described no-, low- and high-intensity of smoking urge.

Participants  Current cigarette smokers (24 men, 24 women) not attempting to quit or reduce smoking.

Measurements  After each imagery condition, participants completed the 47-item TCQ, a Mood Form and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) questions.

Findings  Reliability of measures was demonstrated by internal consistency and unidimensionality of the four TCQ factors across imagery conditions. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated by an orderly increase in scores on the TCQ and VAS craving measures as a function of craving intensity of the imagery scripts. Increases in effect size parameters and parallel decreases in the stability of test–retest reliability for all craving measures indicated the validity of the imagery procedure. Convergent and discriminant validity were established by the craving scripts increasing self-reported craving, the no-craving (positive-affect) script increasing positive mood, the no-craving script not affecting craving and the craving scripts not affecting positive mood.

Conclusions  Findings further demonstrated the reliability and validity of the TCQ as a multi-factorial instrument to assess the construct of tobacco craving and suggested that the lability of craving, rather than inconsistency and instability in its measurement, was responsible for observed effects.