title: The nicotine withdrawal assessment for youth: initial instrument validation and psychometric properties.
abstract: Within the field of adolescent tobacco use, there does not exist a consistently used and validated measure of adolescent nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Nicotine Withdrawal Assessment for Youth (N-WAY), a new measure of adolescent nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Smokers and nonsmokers, ranging from 13 to 19 years old, were administered the N-WAY and other smoking information questionnaires in order to examine its reliability and validity. The N-WAY demonstrated satisfactory test-retest reliability (r=0.74-88) and internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.90-0.92). Its total symptom score accurately discriminated current smokers from nonsmokers. The N-WAY was demonstrated to measure a construct different than nicotine dependence symptoms while correlates of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, such as number of daily cigarettes smoked and prior quit attempts, accurately predicted total N-WAY symptom and impact scores. Preliminary results indicate the N-WAY is a reliable and valid assessment of adolescent nicotine withdrawal symptoms among current smokers.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10019, United States. goldfinm@nyspi.columbia.edu
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Goldfine
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Branstetter
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Horn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult