The complete Multidimensional Measure of Stress (MMOS) measure may be made available to interested persons by contacting the corresponding author.
Context: Smoking rates are higher among inner-city and lower-income African Americans, perhaps due to psychosocial barriers to cessation efforts, including stress.
Objective: To describe the development of the MMOS and examine the psychometric properties of the MMOS among African American light smokers.
Design: Secondary analysis of data generated from a 2x2 randomized clinical trial, designed to examine the efficacy of nicotine replacement and cessation counseling among 755 African American light smokers.
Results: Fourteen items were included in the final MMOS (alpha = .83). An exploratory factor analysis identified 3 factors: interpersonal (alpha = .80), safety (alpha = .70), and financial (alpha = .75). The MMOS was significantly correlated with the Perceived Stress scale (r = 0.49, p < .001) and was associated with several demographic, psychosocial, and tobacco-related variables.
Conclusions: The MMOS appears to be a valid measure of stress among African American light smokers enrolled in a cessation trial.