We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.
Exploring the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) as a possible measure of nicotine dependence
Melissa Mercincavage , Joshua M. Smyth , Steven A. Branstetter , Delwyn Catley
Substance Abuse
Vol. 37, Iss. 2, 2016
This manuscript describes a study examining associations between the time to first cigarette (TTFC), a single-item measure of physical nicotine dependence, and the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS), a brief measure of psychological dependence not yet extensively applied to nicotine research, among a sample of smokers participating in the baseline session of a cessation trial. Relations of TTFC and SDS with previous quitting behaviors and cognitive-affective variables were also examined. The current findings offer utility to clinicians in demonstrating that the SDS, in its typically administered 5-question format, is not appropriate for diagnosing nicotine dependence among smokers. Because the SDS appears to tap into non-physical components of dependence (e.g., loss of control) that relate to quitting motivation and affect, assessing nicotine dependence using only the SDS may fail to capture physical dependence and, further, may not reflect the same domains of addiction the SDS assesses in other drugs of abuse. It is possible that the three-item factor subscale assessing psychological dependence among smokers may be of utility to the cessation workforce if this factor is predictive of clinical outcomes such as cessation and relapse; however, this needs to be further explored. Nonetheless, using three SDS items in addition to TTFC may offer utility over using TTFC alone.
————————————————————————————————-
Our newly released issue is now online —> April-June 2016.
————————————————————————————————-