Measuring the beliefs on alcohol craving by using craving beliefs questionnaire: preliminary results of its psychometric properties in a Turkish sample

Abstract

Introduction: Therapist can assess patients' maladaptive beliefs about drug via Craving Beliefs Questionnaire (CBQ), which was originally developed by Wright to measure beliefs about the craving phenomenon. The aim of the study is to assess the psychometric properties of CBQ and its usefulness in the patients with alcohol dependency. Method: The study population was consisted of 70 alcohol addict male patients. Beliefs about substance use questionnaire (BSU), craving beliefs questionnaire (CBQ), Beck anxiety inventory (BAI), clinical institute withdrawal assessment (CIWA), automatic thoughts questionnaire (ATQ) and dysfunctional attitudes scale (DAS) were used as the assessment tools. Results: The internal consistency of the CBQ for the alcohol dependent was adequate (Cronbach's alpha 0.94). Item-total score correlations were between 0.50 and 0.84 for alcohol-dependent patients. The principal component analysis revealed one main factor. Positive correlations found between CBQ, and BSU, BAI and ATQ. In discriminant validity analysis, mean CBQ scores were found significantly higher than occasional drinkers and none-alcohol drinkers. Conclusion: Our results supported that the Turkish version of the CBQ has an adequate instrument for evaluating alcohol-related craving beliefs in alcoholic patients. However, further studies should be performed for assessing its validity in large number of social drinkers and alcohol-dependent patient.