Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of Dependence Measures for Exclusive Electronic Cigarette
Friday, March 17, 2023
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Milstred
AR, Douglas AE, Romm KF, Blank MD.
Evaluation of the
Psychometric Properties of Dependence Measures for Exclusive Electronic
Cigarette Users.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2023 Feb 9;25(3):563-570. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntac260. PMID:
36377569; PMCID: PMC9910153.
Introduction. Extant
electronic cigarette (ECIG) dependence measures are largely adapted from those
designed for cigarette smoking, though few have been evaluated for their
psychometric properties.
Aims and methods. Never-smoking
ECIG users (N = 134) participating in an online survey completed four
dependence measures: Penn state electronic cigarette dependence index (PSECDI),
e-cigarette dependence scale (EDS-4), diagnostic and statistical manual for
tobacco use disorder (DSM-5), and Glover Nilsson behavioral questionnaire (GNBQ).
They also reported on their ECIG use characteristics (eg, behaviors and
reasons).
Results. Internal
consistency was highest for the EDS-4 (Cronbach's α = 0.88) followed by the
GNBQ (α = 0.75), PSECDI (α = 0.72), and DSM (α = 0.71). Confirmatory factor analyses
revealed a single-factor structure for the PSECDI, EDS-4, and GNBQ. For the
DSM-5, however, two items did not load significantly (ECIG use interferes with
responsibilities; reduce/give up activities because of ECIG use). Significant
correlations were observed between all measures and the number of ECIG use
days/week and/or years using ECIGs, as well as between DSM-5 scores and the
number of ECIG quit attempts and initiation age. Endorsement of using ECIGs
because "I like flavors" was correlated positively with DSM-5 and
GNBQ scores.
Conclusions. All
dependence measures evaluated herein demonstrated adequate reliability and
construct validity. Future work should focus on determining which aspects of
dependence are those that are unique to ECIG use, and subsequently developing a
more comprehensive measure of ECIG dependence.
Implications. The
measures assessed herein-PSECDI, EDS-4, DSM-5, and GNBQ-demonstrated adequate
to good reliability and construct validity among a sample of never-smoking ECIG
users. The dependence domains covered across measures were related yet
distinct. Findings demonstrate the need for future evaluation of these
different domains to determine which are the most salient characteristics of
ECIG dependence.
|
|
Email to a Friend