A content analysis of smoking craving

The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of smoking craving in order to investigate more precisely the subjective nature of the construct with the goal of informing assessment. Thirty-two smokers interested in cessation treatment provided free response written descriptions of the level of craving they normally experience. These responses were analyzed for subjective content along five theoretical domains: physiological, affective, cognitive, behavioral, and synonyms (of craving). Although there were no differences in the relative proportion of broad content terms smokers used to describe their craving (e.g., cognitive versus affective), this analysis revealed considerable diversity in the specific terms smokers used. Some smokers described their craving in purely physiological terms whereas others used primarily cognitive terms, and still others used affective terms. To assume that smoking craving is qualitatively similar across persons, then, may mask important variations that define the individual experience of craving.