Evaluation of the Chinese versions of the Minnesota nicotine withdrawal scale and the questionnaire on smoking urges-brief.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese versions of Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale and Questionnaire on Smoking Urges-Brief (MNWS-C and QSU-Brief-C) in Chinese smokers.


METHODS
MNWS and QSU-Brief were translated into Chinese version through 10 steps. The reliability and validity of Chinese versions of the two scales were evaluated based on the data collected from 354 subjects. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to assess the reliability. Construct validity were evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis. Criteria validity was examined with correlation analysis between scale scores and patient-evaluated scores of craving and tobacco withdrawal symptoms.


RESULTS
Cronbach's alpha coefficient of QSU-Brief-C was .96. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the fit indexes (adjusted goodness-of-fit index [AGFI], comparative fit index [CFI], normed fit index [NFI], and non-normed fit index [NNFI]) exceeded or approached 0.9. The correlation between QSU-Brief-C scores and patient-evaluated craving scores were statistically significant(r = .75, p < .0001). Cronbach's alpha coefficient of MNWS-C was .90. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the fit indexes (AGFI, CFI, NFI, and NNFI) exceeded 0.9. The correlation between MNWS-C scores and patient-evaluated discomfort scores were statistically significant(r = .68, p < .0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Both QSU-Brief-C and MNWS-C have satisfactory validity and reliability and retain the two dimensions identified in their corresponding original English versions, which suggest that QSU-Brief-C and MNWS-C can be used in further research and clinical evaluation in Chinese smoking population with acceptable validity and reliability.
Yu
Xin
X
Psychiatric department, Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Xiao
Dan
D
Li
Bing
B
Liu
Ya
Y
Wang
Guangfa
G
Chen
Jian
J
Bai
Chunxue
C
Pan
Jue
J
Wan
Huanying
H
Li
Qingyun
Q
Zhou
Xin
X
Liao
Ruomin
R
Li
Qiang
Q
Wang
Changhui
C
Chen
Rongchang
R
Tang
Yan
Y
Mo
Hongying
H
Zhao
Min
M
Du
Jiang
J
Li
Jing
J
Kang
Lin
L
Wang
Chen
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult