Background: Symptoms of smoking withdrawal are a central feature of nicotine dependence. A valid and reliable measure of these symptoms is important to better understand nicotine dependence and to develop effective interventions.
Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Cigarette Withdrawal Scale (CWS-C).
Methods: This study conducted cross-sectional surveys in two phases. In the first phase, exploratory factor analysis was used to test the underlying factor structure, the criterion validity, and the reliability of the CWS-C. A reliability test was conducted to assess the internal consistency and stability of the instrument. In the second phase, confirmatory factor analysis validated the factor model that had been proposed in earlier empirical research. The total sample size used in analysis was 497.
Results: The CWS-C achieved a level of efficacy that was similar to the English version. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the six factors of the instrument accounted for 80.3% of the variance. The full scale and all of the subscale items, with the exception of the appetite-weight gain subscale (r = .12, p = .09), were significantly associated with the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (r = .25-.50, p < .05). The Cronbach's alpha of the full scale was .93, with retest coefficient of .84. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the CWS-C had six correlated factors. Field testing showed that the CWS-C is a reliable and valid Chinese-language instrument for assessing the symptoms of cigarette withdrawal.
Conclusions/implications for practice: The CWS-C performed well in terms of reliability and validity in several tests conducted on male Taiwanese smokers. Accurate measurement is expected to help health professionals better understand smoker quitting patterns and the severity of withdrawal symptoms and to develop improved withdrawal-symptom treatment interventions.