Adolescent reasons for quitting smoking: initial psychometric evaluation.
Mark G Myers1, Laura MacPherson
1Psychology Service, Veteran Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, University of California, San Diego, CA 92161, USA. mgmyers@ucsd.edu
Summary
Adolescent smokers want to quit, but motives matter. The new Adolescent Reasons for Quitting scale (ARFQ) shows social disapproval and long-term concerns predict successful smoking cessation attempts in teens.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Most adolescent smokers express a desire to quit and attempt cessation.
- Understanding adolescent motives for quitting is crucial for effective interventions.
- Limited research exists on the relationship between cessation motives and actual cessation efforts in adolescents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Reasons for Quitting scale (ARFQ).
- To assess the reliability and validity of the ARFQ in measuring adolescent motives for smoking cessation.
- To determine if specific cessation motives predict future smoking cessation attempts.
Main Methods:
- Developed the ARFQ through qualitative study with 36 adolescent ex-smokers.
- Administered the ARFQ to 109 current smoking high school students at baseline and 6-month follow-up.
- Conducted exploratory factor analyses and validation analyses using cessation intentions and attempts.
Main Results:
- Exploratory factor analysis identified three ARFQ subscales: Short-Term Consequences, Social Disapproval, and Long-Term Concerns.
- Validation analyses supported the concurrent, predictive, and discriminant validity of the ARFQ.
- The Social Disapproval and Long-Term Concerns subscales significantly predicted subsequent smoking cessation attempts.
Conclusions:
- The ARFQ is a psychometrically sound measure of adolescent smoking cessation motives.
- Social disapproval and long-term concerns are significant predictors of adolescent smoking cessation.
- The ARFQ can inform the development of targeted interventions to enhance adolescent smoking cessation efforts.
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