Rationale

Behavioral economics has shown that single-item demand indicators are promising for capturing crucial aspects of nicotine reinforcement. It is suggested that brief breakpoint measures perform comparably to full-length demand indices in characterizing nicotine dependence; however, there have been no thorough assessments of their validity in clinical settings.

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the validity and accuracy of a single-item breakpoint in informing on tobacco demand.

Methods

The sample consisted of 88 treatment-seeking smokers (% males = 70.5%) enrolled in substance use treatment. Participants provided data on smoking characteristics and completed the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, a single-item breakpoint measure and a 14-item cigarette purchase task (CPT). Hierarchical regressions were performed to compare the predictive capability of a single-item breakpoint and full-length tobacco demand indicators in determining nicotine addiction severity.

Results

The single-item breakpoint was significantly correlated with all indices stemmed from the CPT and both latent factors (all r values = .250–.368). Neither the brief breakpoint nor the full-length breakpoint significantly predicted nicotine dependence. After controlling for sex and smoking variables, factor 2 [β = .565, p < .001] and its observed variables Omax [β = .279, p = .006], 1/elasticity [β = .340, p = .001], and intensity [β = .551, p < .001], robustly predicted nicotine dependence severity.

Conclusions

Our findings do not support the validity of single-item breakpoint measures for characterizing nicotine dependence in substance users. In a bid to foster translational research, brief demand measures capturing Omax, intensity, and elasticity should be developed.

中文翻译：

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没有证据表明单项断点在了解药物滥用障碍患者的烟草需求方面具有临床效用

 基本原理

行为经济学表明，单项需求指标有望捕捉尼古丁强化的关键方面。建议在表征尼古丁依赖方面，简短的断点测量与完整的需求指数的表现相当；然而，尚未对其在临床环境中的有效性进行彻底的评估。

 目标

本研究旨在评估单项断点在告知烟草需求方面的有效性和准确性。

 方法

该样本由 88 名寻求治疗的吸烟者（男性百分比 = 70.5%）组成，他们参加了药物滥用治疗。参与者提供了吸烟特征的数据，并完成了 Fagerström 尼古丁依赖性测试、单项断点测量和 14 项香烟购买任务 (CPT)。进行分层回归以比较单项断点和完整烟草需求指标在确定尼古丁成瘾严重程度方面的预测能力。

 结果

单项断点与源自 CPT 和两个潜在因素的所有指数显着相关（所有r值 = .250–.368）。简短断点和全长断点都不能显着预测尼古丁依赖。控制性别和吸烟变量后，因子 2 [ β = .565， p < .001] 及其观测变量 Omax [ β = .279， p = .006]、1/弹性 [ β = .340， p = . 001] 和强度 [ β = .551， p < .001]，有力地预测了尼古丁依赖的严重程度。

 结论

我们的研究结果不支持单项断点测量来表征物质使用者的尼古丁依赖的有效性。为了促进转化研究，应制定捕捉 Omax、强度和弹性的简短需求衡量标准。