A validity test of the reasons for smoking scale

Abstract

The Reasons for Smoking (RFS) scale classifies the strength of respondents' smoking motives along 6 motivational dimensions. The concurrent validity of the RFS scale was evaluated by having smokers who joined a quit clinic complete the RFS and then self-monitor, using the same 6 motives measured by the RFS, their reason for smoking approximately half their cigarettes during a two week period. The reactive effects of self-monitoring reasons for smoking in addition to smoking frequency was negligible. Of the correlations calculated between the six reasons for smoking as measured by the RFS and by self-monitoring, only two were significant. The self-monitored scores for the “manipulation” motive were the only ones which predicted smoking status at a 3 month follow-up. Discriminant function analyses indicated that the addition of other subscale scores failed to enhance the prediction of smoking status.