Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Pilot Psychometric Revalidation of the Cessation Fatigue Scale for Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Populations in Nigeria: A Study Protocol

Background: Treatment fatigue is increasingly recognized as a contributor to poor adherence among individuals receiving treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs), yet no culturally validated instrument exists for assessing this construct in Nigerian outpatient populations. Objective: This study culturally adapted and pilot psychometrically revalidated the Cessation Fatigue Scale (CFS) for use among Nigerian outpatients receiving treatment for SUDs. Methods: A cross-sectional pilot psychometric design was employed among 97 adult outpatients at the Behavioural Medicine Unit, Karu General Hospital, Abuja. Cultural adaptation involved expert review and content validation. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, while construct validity was examined through inter-item correlations and known-group comparison. Results: The adapted CFS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (overall α = 0.912), excellent content validity (S-CVI/Ave = 0.966), and satisfactory construct validity. Participants with comorbid mental illness reported significantly higher treatment fatigue than those without comorbidity (χ² = 28.84, p < .001, Cramer's V = .545). Conclusion: The adapted CFS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing treatment fatigue among Nigerian outpatient SUD populations and warrants evaluation in larger multicentre studies.

cessation fatigue; treatment fatigue; substance use disorder; scale adaptation

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