Failure to support the validity of the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire as a measure of physiological tolerance to nicotine

Abstract

We tested the validity of the Fagerström Tolerance Questionnaire as a measure of physiological tolerance to nicotine. Both clinical and laboratory studies found neither the total questionnaire score nor the individual questionnaire items were related to physiological tolerance as measured by heart rate, skin conductance, blood volume pulse, and skin temperature responses to smoking a cigarette. We hypothesize the questionnaire measures behavioral dependence or perceived dependence rather than physical dependence.