The development and validation of smoking scale

Smoking is one of the most dangerous types of addiction in terms of prevalence, morbidity, and mortality due to its nicotine content. For this reason, using a reliable and valid measurement tool is critical to identify and assess the level of smoking accurately. The current study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the Smoking Scale (SS) used in Turkey and to determine the psychometric properties of this scale. Therefore, the present study consisted of two stages, each of which was conducted with different participants, and a total of 991 participants, both smokers and non-smokers, were included in the sample. The results obtained from the SS were found to be valid and reliable (Cronbach’s alpha = .91). The model fit indices obtained by confirmatory factor analysis were found to be within acceptable limits. It was also found that there was a positive and statistically significant relationship between smoking and depression, openness, impulses, and emotion regulation strategies. These findings are believed to contribute to future smoking studies, especially in determining the level of addiction.