Psychometric Properties of the Autonomy over Tobacco Scale in German

Background/Aims: We investigated the psychometric properties of a German translation of the 12-item Autonomy over Tobacco Scale (AUTOS) among 1,195 eighth-grade students. Methods: Data for this study were collected as part of the fourth wave of data collection of the Smokefree Class Competition inte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European addiction research 2012-01, Vol.18 (2), p.76-82
Main Authors: Wellman, R.J., Di Franza, J.R., Morgenstern, M., Hanewinkel, R., Isensee, B., Sabiston, C.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Correlation analysis
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Germany - epidemiology
Humans
Male
Middle school students
Personal Autonomy
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - standards
Psychometrics
Quantitative psychology
Questionnaires
Reproducibility of Results
Research Report
Smoking
Smoking - epidemiology
Smoking - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tobacco
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Summary:Background/Aims: We investigated the psychometric properties of a German translation of the 12-item Autonomy over Tobacco Scale (AUTOS) among 1,195 eighth-grade students. Methods: Data for this study were collected as part of the fourth wave of data collection of the Smokefree Class Competition intervention in the Saxony-Anhalt region of Germany. Students from the control arm of the Smokefree Class Competition study who indicated that they had ever smoked ‘at least a few puffs’ on a cigarette were classified as ever-smokers. They self-completed questionnaires distributed by teachers. Results: AUTOS scores ranged from 0 to 36 with a distribution highly skewed toward lower-response categories. Inter-item correlations ranged from 0.65 to 0.89 (mean = 0.79, SD = 0.06). Composite reliability for the AUTOS was high (Ω = 0.96) and 3 lower-order factors were also reliable (withdrawal: 0.89, psychological dependence: 0.91, cue-induced cravings: 0.87). Concurrent validity was supported by strong relationships between the AUTOS and both lifetime cigarette consumption and current smoking frequency. Youths were 18 times more likely to be current smokers (95% CI = 11.9–27.2, p < 0.001) if they endorsed any AUTOS item. Conclusion: The German AUTOS is reliable and valid, and the results are consistent with the English AUTOS for use with adolescents.
ISSN:1022-6877
1421-9891
DOI:10.1159/000334410