Reliability and validity of the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire and validation of a craving-induction procedure using multiple measures of craving and mood

Aims: To determine the reliability and validity of the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire (TCQ) and the validity of imagery scripts to elicit self-reported tobacco craving. Design: Active imagery of three auditory scripts that described no-, low- and high-intensity of smoking urge. Participants: Current cigarette smokers (24 men, 24 women) not attempting to quit or reduce smoking. Measurements: After each imagery condition, participants completed the 47-item TCQ, a Mood Form and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) questions. Findings: Reliability of measures was demonstrated by internal consistency and unidimensionality of the four TCQ factors across imagery conditions. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated by an orderly increase in scores on the TCQ and VAS craving measures as a function of craving intensity of the imagery scripts. Increases in effect size parameters and parallel decreases in the stability of test-retest reliability for all craving measures indicated the validity of the imagery procedure. Convergent and discriminant validity were established by the craving scripts increasing self-reported craving, the no-craving (positive-affect) script increasing positive mood, the no-craving script not affecting craving and the craving scripts not affecting positive mood. Conclusions: Findings further demonstrated the reliability and validity of the TCQ as a multi-factorial instrument to assess the construct of tobacco craving and suggested that the lability of craving, rather than inconsistency and instability in its measurement, was responsible for observed effects.