| Summary: | Rationale: Behavioral economics has shown that single-item demand indicators are promising for capturing crucial aspects of nicotine reinforcement. It is suggested that brief breakpoint measures perform comparably to full-length demand indices in characterizing nicotine dependence; however, there have been no thorough assessments of their validity in clinical settings. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the validity and accuracy of a single-item breakpoint in informing on tobacco demand. Methods: The sample consisted of 88 treatment-seeking smokers (% males = 70.5%) enrolled in substance use treatment. Participants provided data on smoking characteristics and completed the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, a single-item breakpoint measure and a 14-item cigarette purchase task (CPT). Hierarchical regressions were performed to compare the predictive capability of a single-item breakpoint and full-length tobacco demand indicators in determining nicotine addiction severity. Results: The single-item breakpoint was significantly correlated with all indices stemmed from the CPT and both latent factors (all r values =.250–.368). Neither the brief breakpoint nor the full-length breakpoint significantly predicted nicotine dependence. After controlling for sex and smoking variables, factor 2 [β =.565, p <.001] and its observed variables Omax [β =.279, p =.006], 1/elasticity [β =.340, p =.001], and intensity [β =.551, p <.001], robustly predicted nicotine dependence severity. Conclusions: Our findings do not support the validity of single-item breakpoint measures for characterizing nicotine dependence in substance users. In a bid to foster translational research, brief demand measures capturing Omax, intensity, and elasticity should be developed.
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