Source:Addictive Behaviors, Volume 78
Author(s): Georges E. Khalil, Karen S. Calabro, Alexander V. Prokhorov
BackgroundAlthough the reasons behind tobacco smoking at young age are complex, research has identified curiosity as a potent driver of smoking among adolescents.ObjectiveThe objective of the current study is to develop and provide initial evidence of reliability and validity of a short scale assessing smoking curiosity among adolescents (first measure of its kind). In particular, we developed and tested the adolescent smoking curiosity scale (ASCOS).MethodsAfter scale development, 101 adolescents completed a survey on smoking-related measures, including ASCOS (June to August 2014). We conducted exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha calculation to inspect factor-structure and reliability. We conducted multiple linear regression models to examine the scale's capacity to predict antecedents of smoking initiation.ResultsFactor analysis supported a single-factor structure of smoking curiosity. ASCOS was internally reliable (Cronbach's alpha=0.83). Controlling for demographics, the measure correlated significantly with temptation to try smoking (β=0.41, p<0.01), number of friends who smoke (β=0.27, p<0.01), agreeing with the pros of smoking (β=0.41, p<0.001), sensation seeking (β=0.21, p<0.05), and depression (β=0.23, p<0.01). When controlling for a single-item measure for smoking curiosity, ASCOS significantly predicted susceptibility to smoke cigarettes (OR=3.40, p<0.05) and cigars (OR=6.66, p<0.01).ConclusionsASCOS presented good psychometric properties and passed initial validity-testing through associations with antecedents of smoking. ASCOS was a better predictor of susceptibility to smoke than did a traditional single-item measure used by previous research. As an implication, ASCOS can be crucial to the development of tailored interventions for smoking prevention that can reduce smoking curiosity.
http://ift.tt/2hhs55a
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου