Development of a smoking abstinence self-efficacy questionnaire
Viola Spek1, Fieke Lemmens, Marlène Chatrou
1Centre of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases (CoRPS), Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
|February 22, 2012
Summary
The Smoking Abstinence Self-efficacy Questionnaire (SASEQ) is a reliable and valid tool for assessing self-efficacy in quitting smoking. Higher SASEQ scores predict successful smoking cessation, aiding clinical interventions.
Area of Science:
- Health Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Self-efficacy beliefs significantly influence health behavior changes, particularly in smoking cessation.
- A validated, brief questionnaire is needed to measure self-efficacy for smoking cessation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the psychometric properties of a six-item questionnaire designed to assess smoking cessation self-efficacy.
- To determine if the questionnaire predicts successful smoking abstinence.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal data from 513 smokers were analyzed.
- Participants completed the Smoking Abstinence Self-efficacy Questionnaire (SASEQ), alongside measures of depressive symptoms and motivation.
- Smoking status was assessed one year post-quit attempt.
Main Results:
- Factor analysis confirmed a single-factor structure for the SASEQ, explaining 64% of the variance.
- The SASEQ demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89) and low correlations with depressive symptoms and motivation.
- Baseline SASEQ scores significantly predicted smoking abstinence at 52 weeks (OR = 1.85).
Conclusions:
- The SASEQ is a short, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring self-efficacy in smoking abstinence.
- The questionnaire exhibits good predictive validity for smoking cessation success.
- The SASEQ is practical for use in clinical settings to inform smoking cessation interventions.
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