Translation, Validity, and Reliability of the Minnesota Tobacco Withdrawal Scale (MTWS) in Indonesian

Introduction  Tobacco addiction remains a major public health issue in Indonesia, with smoking cessation often hindered by withdrawal symptoms. The Minnesota Tobacco Withdrawal Scale (MTWS) is a widely used assessment tool, but no validated Indonesian version has been available. This study aimed to translate, validate, and assess the reliability of the Indonesian MTWS.  Methods  A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to December 2022 with 174 adult smokers. The MTWS was translated and reviewed by five addiction specialists. Content validity was assessed using the Scale-Level Content Validity Index (S-CVI), construct validity through correlation analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and reliability via Cronbach's alpha.  Results  The content validity analysis showed that six statements had an Item Content Validity Index (I-CVI) score of 1.0, while 11 statements scored 0.8, resulting in an overall Scale Content Validity Index/Average (S-CVI/Ave) score of 0.87, indicating strong content validity. Construct validity testing revealed that all items had correlation coefficients exceeding the critical r-value (0.124), confirming their validity. EFA indicated a strong factor structure, with a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of 0.970 and a Bartlett's Test of Sphericity p-value <0.001. Reliability testing demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.923.  Conclusion  The Indonesian MTWS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing smoking withdrawal symptoms, supporting healthcare professionals in smoking cessation efforts.