Development and validation of the smoking abstinence expectancies questionnaire

Despite evidence that expectancies influence the use and effects of drugs, there are no questionnaires that assess abstinence expectancies among smokers. Such a questionnaire may assist prediction models of successful quitting, enable clinicians to target specific expectancies, and give researchers a broader understanding of cognitive processes that influence smoking.

We aimed to develop a questionnaire that assesses, among daily smokers, expected short-term psychological and physiological consequences to (hypothetically) abstaining from smoking. Initial scale items, completed by 326 smokers, were constructed on the basis of theory, empirical evidence, and expert review.

The final Smoking Abstinence Expectancies Questionnaire (SAEQ) has 28 items and 4 internally consistent subscales: Negative Mood (e.g., "I would feel grouchy"), Somatic Symptoms (e.g., "My throat would feel dry"), Harmful Consequences (e.g., "I would feel like I'm dying"), and Positive Consequences (e.g., "I would feel calm"). The full scale showed good internal consistency (∝ = .86), test-retest reliability over a 2-week span (r = .82), as well as convergent and discriminant validity.

The present study provides preliminary support for the SAEQ as a tool in smoking cessation research and treatment planning.