Affiliations: Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal (FH), Studiengänge
Rehabilitationspsychologie B. Sc. und M. Sc., Osterburger Straße 25,
39576 Stendal. E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Objectives: Epidemiological surveys pointed out the importance of
nicotineassociated disorders in children and adolescents. The aim of this study
is to analyze the assessment procedures that can be used to arrange the
psychological-diagnostic process in children and adolescents with
nicotineassociated disorders in an effective way and to point out needs for new
developments in Germany. Methods: We analyzed relevant articles, books and
manuals of published German assessment tools. The databases PsyContent,
SpringerLink, PubMed as well as the engine Google-Scholar were screened using
the terms "nicotine dependence", "tobacco dependence",
"smoker", "psychological assessment",
"children" und "adolescents". The published German
assessment tools were evaluated regarding their psychometric properties and
completeness. Results: There are deficiencies in the field of nicotine-specific
assessment tools in Germany. The existing measures were not adapted and
standardized for children and adolescents. International psychological
assessments show new possibilities for improvements. Conclusion: At the moment
only the DIA-X could be recommended to measure nicotine dependence in childhood
and adolescence. The adaption of existing or the development of new assessments
for nicotine-associated disorders with children and adolescents is desired
immediately. The use of instruments based on the transtheoretical model cannot
be advised until evaluation with children and adolescents.
