Smoking Decisional Balance Scales
Long Form
How important is this to me?
1. Smoking cigarettes is pleasurable.
2. My smoking affects the health of others.
3. I like the image of a cigarette smoker.
4. Others close to me would suffer if I became ill from smoking.
5. I am relaxed and therefore more pleasant when smoking.
6. Because I continue to smoke‚ some people I know think I lack the character to quit.
7. If I try to stop smoking I’ll be irritable and a pain to be around.
8. Smoking cigarettes is hazardous to my health.
9. My family and friends like me better when I am happily smoking than when I am miserable trying to quit.
10.I’m embarrassed to have to smoke.
11.I like myself better when I smoke.
12.My cigarette smoking bothers other people.
13.Smoking helps me concentrate and do better work.
14.People think I’m foolish for ignoring the warnings about cigarette smoking.
15.Smoking cigarettes relieves tension.
16.People close to me disapprove of my smoking.
17.By continuing to smoke I feel I am making my own decisions.
18.I’m foolish to ignore the warnings about cigarettes.
19.After not smoking for a while a cigarette makes me feel great.
20.I would be more energetic right now if I didn’t smoke.
Short Form
Importance in making a decision about smoking: 1=Not important at all‚ 2=Slightly important‚ 3=Moderately important‚ 4=Very important‚ 5=Extremely important
How important is this to me?
1. Smoking cigarettes relieves tension.
2. I am embarrassed to have to smoke.
3. Smoking helps me concentrate and do better work.
4. My cigarette smoking bothers other people.
5. I am relaxed and therefore more pleasant when smoking.
6. People think I am foolish for ignoring the warnings about cigarette smoking.
The Transtheoretical Model (TTM; Prochaska & DiClemente‚ 1983; Prochaska‚ DiClemente‚ & Norcross‚ 1992)
Importance in making a decision about smoking: 1=Not important at all‚ 2=Slightly important‚ 3=Moderately important‚ 4=Very important‚ 5=Extremely important
20 Item Version
Pros of Smoking 1‚ 3‚ 5‚ 7‚ 9‚ 11‚ 13‚ 15‚ 17‚ 19
Cons of Smoking 2‚ 4‚ 6‚ 8‚ 10‚ 12‚ 14‚ 16‚ 18‚ 20
6 Item Version
Pros of Smoking 1‚ 3‚ 5
Cons of Smoking 2‚ 4‚ 6
Velicer‚ W.F.‚ DiClemente‚ C.C.‚ and Prochaska‚ J.O. (1985). Decisional balance measure for assessing and predicting smoking status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology‚ 48‚ 1279-1289
Prochaska‚ J.O.‚ Velicer‚ W.F.‚ DiClemente‚ C.C.‚ & Fava‚ J. (1988). Measuring Processes of Change: Applications to the Cessation of Smoking. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology‚ 56‚ 4‚ 520-528.
Prochaska‚ J.O.‚ Velicer‚ W.F.‚ Rossi‚ J.S.‚ Goldstein‚ M.G.‚ Marcus‚ B.H.‚ Rakowski‚ W.‚ Fiore‚ C.‚ Harlow‚ L.L.‚ Redding‚ C.A.‚ Rosenbloom‚ D.‚ and Rossi‚ S.R. (1994). Stages of change and decisional balance for 12 problem behaviors. Health Psychology‚ 13‚ 39-46.
Carey‚ K.B.‚ Maisto‚ S.A.‚ Carey‚ M.P.‚ and Purnine‚ D.M. (2001). Measuring readiness to change substance misuse among psychiatric outpatients: Reliability and validity of self-report measures. Journal of Studies on Alcohol‚ 62‚ 79-88.
Ward‚ R.M.‚ Velicer‚ W.F.‚ and Rossi‚ J.S. (2004). Factorial invariance and internal consistency for the decisional balance inventory – short form. Addictive Behaviors‚ 29‚ 953-958.
Collins‚ Susan E.‚ Carey‚ Kate B.‚ and Otto‚ Jacqueline M. (2009). A New Decisional Balance Measure of Motivation to Change Among At-Risk College Drinkers. Psychol Addict Behav‚ 23(3): 464–471. doi: 10.1037/a0015841
