Psychometric properties of the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM-68): a replication and extension.

Introduction The Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM-68), a relatively new measure, assesses nicotine dependence in terms of distinct motivations for smoking. We examined psychometric properties of the WISDM-68 in a population-based sample that is on average older and includes heavier smokers than the original sample used for the validation of the instrument. Methods Participants were adult regular smokers (N = 431) who were offspring of pregnant women enrolled in the New England sites of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959-1966). We examined the internal consistency of the WISDM-68's 13 subscales, replicated and extended the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) by Piper et al., assessed the interdependence of the subscales, examined the association between smoking heaviness and subscale scores, and conducted additional validation tests. Results Internal consistency for WISDM's 13 subscales ranged from 0.78 for the Tolerance to 0.89 for the Cognitive Enhancement and Affiliative Attachment subscales. Similar reliabilities were obtained for demographic and smoking-relevant subgroups. CFAs suggest that a 13-factor model fit our data better than a single-factor model and better than an empirically derived 10-factor model. Regression models supported the validity of the 13 subscales, although follow-up analyses suggested possibility of maintaining WISDM's 13-factor structure with fewer than 68 items. Conclusion The WISDM-68 consists of 13 internally consistent subscales. The independence of the majority of the subscales supports the perspective that nicotine dependence is a heterogeneous construct.