Psychological functions served by nicotine chewing gum.

All 43 participants in a smoking cessation study complete Russell's (1974) Smoking Motivation Questionnaire (SMQ) before quitting, and an equivalent Nicotine gum Questionnaire (NGQ) during cessation. The profiles of SMQ and NGQ scores were very similar, showing that nicotine gum served a range of psychological functions similar to that provided by cigarettes: stress modulation, feelings of arousal and pleasure, hand/mouth activity, and nicotine dependency. Gum scores were, however, around 45% of cigarette values, as would be expected from its lower nicotine dose. Failed quitters (less than 2 weeks abstinence, N = 15), short-term quitters (3-12 weeks abstinence, N = 14), and successful quitters (+13 weeks abstinence: N = 14), did not differ on any SMQ subscale. However, they did differ significantly on the NGQ habit subscale. Thus the development of a regular gum-chewing habit during the first week of cessation was associated with eventual success in quitting. Sex differences were also apparent, with females reporting higher sedative, stimulant, and hand/mouth activity gum-questionnaire scores than males. These findings provide evidence for the construct and content validity of the NGQ, but further studies into its criterion validity and test-retest reliability are required.