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Objective: Racial and ethnic disparities in smoking cessation persist. This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for cessation among African American/Black, Latino/Hispanic, and White adults. Method: African American/Black (39%), Latino/Hispanic (29%), and White (32%) adults (N = 347) were randomly assigned to eight group sessions of CBT or general health education (GHE), both including nicotine patch therapy. Biochemically confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence (7-day ppa) was measured at the end-of-therapy, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month followups. Generalized linear mixed models and logistic regressions tested abstinence rates by condition, stratified by race and ethnicity, and interaction effects. Results: CBT led to greater abstinence than GHE across 12-months of follow-up (AOR = 1.84, 95% CI [1.59, 2.13]) overall [12-month follow-up: CBT = 54% vs. GHE = 38%] and within racial and ethnic groups [12-months: African American/Black (CBT = 52%, GHE = 29%), Latino/Hispanic (CBT = 57%, GHE = 47%), and White (CBT = 54%, GHE = 41%)]. African American participants were less likely than White participants to quit irrespective of condition, as were persons with lower education and income. Socioeconomic status indicators positively predicted abstinence among racial and ethnic minority participants, but not White participants. Conclusions: Group CBT was efficacious compared with GHE. However, cessation patterns suggested that intensive group interventions were less beneficial over the longer term among lower socioeconomic African American and Latino individuals, compared with White participants. Tobacco interventions should target racial and ethnic and socioeconomic differences, via culturally specific approaches and other means. Public Health Significance Statement When treating individuals who wish to quit smoking, this study demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered in a group format is efficacious across racial and ethnic groups. An intersectional look within racial and ethnic groups, revealed that CBT worked equally well among White persons irrespective of their socioeconomic status (SES), yet was more effective among higher SES racial and ethnic minority persons. Within group diversity is an important consideration when "gold-standard" interventions are recommended universally. To address cessation disparities particularly among racial and ethnic minority individuals with less privileged socioeconomic status, the implementation of culturally specific approaches may be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cue-exposure therapy (CET) aims to extinguish conditioned cue reactivity (CR) to aid in smoking cessation. A key disadvantage of extant CET is its limited ability to generalize extinction to the real world. Our team developed a set of augmented reality smoking-related and neutral cues that can appear in real-time in smokers' natural environments as viewed through a smartphone screen. Prior to deployment as a clinical tool, the present study tested the ability of AR smoking cues to extinguish CR in a controlled laboratory study with an AR smartphone application developed for this project. We hypothesized that daily smokers who completed a single session of cue exposure with AR smoking cues (extinction condition) would demonstrate lower cue-provoked urge to smoke at posttest compared to those who viewed AR neutral cues (control condition). Method: Daily smokers (N = 129, 46.5% female, Mage = 47.6, Mcigarettes/day = 19.1) in acute abstinence were randomized to either the extinction or control condition comprising 28 AR trials. Results: As hypothesized, we found a Time × Condition interaction indicating that posttest urge ratings were lower in the extinction condition than in the control condition (p = .034). A secondary hypothesis that participants in the extinction condition would show a longer latency to smoke when provided a cigarette was not supported. Conclusions: These laboratory findings provide evidence supporting the potential clinical efficacy of AR cues for cue-exposure trials, setting the stage for testing in smokers' naturalistic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need for effective smoking cessation interventions that can be disseminated easily in health care and other settings. We previously reported that an extended self-help intervention comprising intensive repeated mailings over 18 months improved abstinence rates through 6 months beyond the end of the intervention when compared to both a reduced version of the self-help materials and a traditional self-help booklet. This report extends the follow-up for an additional 6 months (30-months postbaseline) to examine long-term maintenance of the intervention effect. We hypothesized that the previously observed "dose-response" effect of treatment intensity would be maintained. Participants were randomized to Traditional Self-Help (TSH, n = 638), Standard Repeated Mailings (SRM, n = 614), or Intensive Repeated Mailings (IRM, n = 622). TSH received an existing self-help smoking cessation booklet. SRM received 8 cessation booklets mailed over 12 months. IRM received monthly mailings of 10 booklets and additional material to enhance social support over 18 months. Follow-up assessments occurred every 6 months through 30 months. Data were collected 2010-2013 and analyzed 2014-2017. At 1 year posttreatment, there was a linear dose effect with the highest abstinence rates observed in IRM (33%), followed by SRM (29%), and then TSH (23%; p = .002). Paired comparisons indicated that IRM was superior to TSH (p = .002). Results revealed a robust intervention effect for the intensive self-help intervention that was maintained 12 months after treatment completion. This further supports extended self-help as a low-cost intervention for smoking cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are frequently initiated for smoking cessation, results from the first two clinical trials testing this suggest that the perceived benefits of vaping may be influenced by non-nicotine factors, including cognitive outcome expectancies. The current study investigated the separate and combined effects of nicotine delivery and outcome expectancies on cravings for cigarettes and e-cigarettes using a balanced-placebo experiment. Method: Drug dosage (contains nicotine or not) was crossed with instructional set (told nicotine or non-nicotine) during ad lib e-cigarette use sessions by 128 current e-cigarette users (52 identifying as current cigarette smokers or "dual users"). It was hypothesized that reduction in craving for both cigarettes and e-cigarettes following e-cigarette administration would be driven primarily by the instructional set manipulation, reflecting the influence of outcome expectancies. Results: As hypothesized, among dual users, a main effect of instructional set emerged on reductions in craving to smoke cigarettes, with participants who were told that their e-cigarette contained nicotine reporting greater craving reduction (p = .046). With respect to reduced cravings for e-cigarettes, we found an interaction between drug dose and instructional set (p = .02) such that nicotine e-cigarettes reduced cravings more than non-nicotine e-cigarettes only among participants told to expect nicotine. Conclusions: Findings suggest that cognitive expectancies contribute to the acute effects of e-cigarettes on craving, which may provide guidance for their potential as smoking cessation aids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The need to understand potential precipitants of smoking relapse is exemplified by relapse rates as high as 95%. The Self-Control Strength model, which proposes that self-control is dependent upon limited resources and susceptible to fatigue, may offer insight into relapse processes. The current study tested the hypothesis that self-control depletion (SCD), produced from engagement in emotional suppression, would serve as a novel antecedent for cessation failure, as indexed by a validated laboratory analogue of smoking lapse and relapse. We also examined whether SCD effects interacted with those of a well-established relapse precipitant (i.e., nicotine deprivation). Craving and behavioral economic indices (delay discounting and demand) were tested as hypothesized mechanisms for increased cessation failure. Ultimately, a moderated mediation model was used to test nicotine deprivation as a hypothesized moderator of SCD effects. Method: We used a 2 × 2 (12-hr deprivation vs. no deprivation; SCD vs. no SCD) factorial between-subjects design (N = 128 smokers). Results: The primary hypothesis of the study was supported, as SCD increased lapse behavior (p = .04). Nicotine deprivation significantly increased craving, cigarette demand, delay discounting, and lapse behavior. No main effects were found for SCD on putative mediators (i.e., craving, demand, and discounting), but the SCD and deprivation manipulations interacted upon craving (p = .04). The moderated mediation model was significant. SCD was found to increase craving among nicotine deprived smokers, which mediated effects on lapse behavior. Conclusions: SCD appears to play an important role in smoking relapse and may be a viable target for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Restrained eaters attempt to employ cognitive control over decisions to eat, which leaves them prone to eat in a disinhibited manner. This eating style is associated with elevated rates of smoking compared to the general population. The current study merged smoking and eating research methodology to investigate a mechanism that may underlie this association by testing whether a food prime, which has been found to elicit disinhibited eating in restrained eaters, could also motivate smoking as an alternative to eating. Method: Using a randomized, 2-arm (Prime/No-Prime) between-subjects design, it was hypothesized that young adult female smokers who endorsed elevated dietary restraint and received a food prime would smoke more when given the option, compared to smokers who did not receive the food prime. Results: As predicted, restraint score moderated the effect of the food prime upon smoking behavior (latency to first puff, (3 = 1, t = 3.8, d f = 123, p < .001) and cigarette craving ((3 = —.79, t = —2.9, d f = 127, p < .005), suggesting that after a food prime, restrained-eating smokers may opt to smoke to prevent further food intake. Conclusion: This study identified a pathway, namely violation of dietary restraint, linking eating and smoking behaviors that may contribute to the population-based covariance between disordered eating and tobacco use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smokers attempting to quit should benefit from persisting in cognitive and behavioral coping in order to achieve and maintain abstinence. Task persistence, which describes the act of persisting in a difficult or effortful task, is likely to be required in the face of distressing smoking cues, urges to smoke, or other nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This study examined whether task persistence (also called distress tolerance) could prospectively predict smoking cessation in a mixed sample of smokers with and without schizophrenia. Smokers with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n = 71) and nonpsychiatric smokers (n = 78) seeking treatment at state-funded tobacco dependence treatment clinics completed tests of task persistence before their target quit date, and then provided tobacco use data over the 6 months after their quit date. Findings from generalized estimating equations support the hypothesis that task persistence as measured by a mirror-tracing task predicts smoking cessation while controlling for important covariates such as psychiatric diagnosis, nicotine dependence, and confidence in ability to quit. These findings add to the literature by corroborating reports suggesting that task persistence may make important contributions to smoking cessation success, and by indicating that the contribution of task persistence to smoking cessation is similar for smokers with schizophrenia and nonpsychiatric smokers. These results suggest that efforts to target task persistence in smoking cessation counseling protocols may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study related to the acceptance and suppression based coping strategies for treatments of substance use disorders (SUDs). As per the study, 162 adult smokers were recruited and exposed to smoking cues to generate thoughts and urge to smoke. The study mentions that the smokers were randomly assigned a brief laboratory-based coping intervention. The study further founds the importance of acceptance-based coping for treatment of SUDs.

Tobacco addiction and chronic pain represent 2 highly prevalent and comorhid conditions that engender substantial burdens upon individuals and systems. Interrelations between pain and smoking have been of clinical and empirical interest for decades, and research in this area has increased dramatically over the past 5 years. We conceptualize the interaction of pain and smoking as a prototypical example of the biopsychosocial model. Accordingly, we extrapolated from behavioral, cognitive, affective, biomedical, and social perspectives to propose causal mechanisms that may contribute to the observed comorbidity between these 2 conditions. The extant literature was 1st dichotomized into investigations of either effects of smoking on pain or effects of pain on smoking. We then integrated these findings to present a reciprocal model of pain and smoking that is hypothesized to interact in the manner of a positive feedback loop, resulting in greater pain and increased smoking. Finally, we proposed directions for future research and discussed clinical implications for smokers with comorbid pain disorders. We observed modest evidence that smoking may be a risk factor in the multifactorial etiology of some chronically painful conditions and that pain may come to serve as a potent motivator of smoking. We also found that whereas animal studies yielded consistent support for direct pain-inhibitory effects of nicotine and tobacco, results from human studies were much less consistent. Future research in the emerging area of pain and smoking has the potential to inform theoretical and clinical applications with respect to tobacco smoking, chronic pain, and their comorbid presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the task persistence among smokers with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder (SZ/SA) and non-psychiatric control smokers. It states that 203 smokers from a tobacco dependence treatment clinic in New Jersey were recruited to participate in the study wherein they undergo mirror tracing persistence task to predict smoking cessation. Results show that lower task persistence partially explains the decreased smoking cessation successes among smokers with SZ/SA.

The article presents an experimental study on the effect of negative body image in the motivation of college women to smoke. It states that the objective of the study is to assess the negative affect as mediator on the smoking urges and body dissatisfaction among women. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) explains that smoking is the major cause of death and disease in both genders, but women are at greater risk. It also notes that men and women have different kind of motivations in terms of smoking. Moreover, it concludes that body image manipulation increases the urge to smoke and female college students are in the transitory period of smoking behavior.

Tobacco smoking has been associated with the development and exacerbation of chronically painful conditions. Conversely, there is reason to believe that smokers may be motivated to use tobacco as a means of coping with their pain. To date, no controlled, experimental studies have tested for a causal relationship between pain and smoking motivation. The primary aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that laboratory-induced cold pressor pain would enhance smoking motivation, as measured by self-reported urge to smoke and observation of immediate smoking behavior. Smokers (N = 132) were randomly assigned to either pain or no pain conditions. Results indicated that situational pain increased urge ratings and produced shorter latencies to smoke. The relationship between pain and increased urge to smoke was partially mediated by pain-induced negative affect. The relationship between pain and shorter latency to smoke was fully mediated by pain-induced urge to smoke. This study provides the 1st experimental evidence that situational pain can be a potent motivator of smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous correlational and quasi-experimental research has established that weight concerns and negative body image are associated with tobacco smoking, cessation, and relapse, particularly among young women. This study examined the causal influence of body image upon smoking motivation by merging methodologies from the addiction and body image literatures. Design: Using a cue-reactivity paradigm, the study tested whether an experimental manipulation designed to challenge women's body image--specifically, their weight dissatisfaction--influenced their motivation to smoke. Female college smokers (N = 62) were included in a 2 X 2 factorial, within-subjects design (body image cues X smoking cues). Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported urge to smoke was the primary dependent measure, with skin conductance as a secondary measure. Results: As hypothesized, the presentation of smoking images and thin model images produced greater urges to smoke than control images. Additionally, trait weight concerns moderated the effect of the body image manipulation such that those women with greater weight concerns produced greater craving to the thin model image (when smoking cues were not present). Conclusion: These findings provide initial evidence that situational challenges to body image are causally related to smoking motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on comparison of smoking versus nicotine based from smokers' expectancies. Smokers' expectancies on smoking and nicotine were compared based on word association tests. Smokers were randomly picked to receive instructions to complete either "Smoking makes one" or "Nicotine makes one" with as many words as possible within 30 seconds. Results shows that smokers held similar expectancies for smoking and nicotine. Negative results, however, were more connected with nicotine than with smoking.

Objective: Previous research (Webb, Simmons, & Brandon, 2005) suggested that smokers' reactions to self-help materials were more positive if they believed that the materials had been personally tailored to their individual characteristics and if they held expectancies that tailored interventions are superior to standard, or generic, interventions. The authors' objective in the current study was to replicate and extend this research by testing the efficacy expectancy priming before intervention delivery. Design: In a 2 x 2 factorial experiment, 210 smokers (M = 23 cigarettes/day) recruited from the community (62% female; 92% Caucasian; mean age = 49) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: placebo-tailored intervention/no priming, placebo-tailored intervention/priming, standard intervention/no priming, or standard intervention/priming. The tailoring-related expectancies of participants' in the priming conditions were primed before they were presented with the respective intervention booklets. Main Outcome Measures: Content evaluations, readiness to quit smoking, cessation self-efficacy, smoking-related knowledge, and progress toward quitting (behavior changes). Assessments occurred by mail at baseline and at 1-month postintervention. Results: Similar to the earlier study, the placebo-tailored booklets produced superior evaluations and smoking-related cognitive and behavioral changes. Moreover, the pretreatment expectancy priming successfully altered participants' tailoring-related expectancies and also produced superior evaluations and outcomes. Conclusion: Findings support a causal role of tailoring-related expectancies on the efficacy of tailored interventions and suggest that interventions can be enhanced via expectancy priming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavlovian conditioning models have led to cue-exposure treatments for drug abuse. However, conditioned responding to drug stimuli can return (be renewed) following treatment. Animal research and a previous study of social drinkers indicated that extinction is highly context dependent but that renewal could be reduced by the inclusion of a cue from the extinction context. This study extends this research to a clinical sample. Alcohol-dependent outpatients (N = 143) completed an extinction trial to reduce craving and salivation responses to alcohol cues. They were then randomized to renewal tests in either the same context as extinction, a different context, the different context containing an extinction cue, or the different context with cue plus a manipulation to increase the salience of the cue. Contrary to predictions, the different context did not produce the expected renewal effect. Although the generalization of extinction effects beyond the cue-exposure context is a positive clinical finding, it is inconsistent with basic research findings on the context dependence of extinction. Possible explanations for this inconsistency are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: College may represent an untapped opportunity to reach the growing number of student smokers who are at risk of progressing toward regular smoking. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of a theory-based experiential intervention for increasing motivation to quit smoking and reducing smoking behavior. Design: This study used a 3-arm, randomized design to examine the efficacy of an experiential secondary prevention intervention. The control groups included a traditional didactic smoking intervention and an experiential intervention on nutrition. Main Outcome Measures: The 2 primary dependent variables were change in self-reported intention to quit smoking, measured pre- and postintervention, and change in smoking behavior over the month following the intervention. Results: As hypothesized, the experiential smoking intervention was more effective than either control group in increasing immediate motivation to quit, but the effect was found only among female participants. At 1-month follow-up, both smoking interventions produced higher rates of smoking cessation and reduction than did the nutrition control condition. Conclusion: Findings support the potential efficacy of an intensive experiential intervention for female smokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of tailored interventions for motivating smoking cessation. The study used a placebo-tailoring design to test whether the efficacy of tailoring was due, in part, to personalized features in addition to the theoretically based content. Two hundred forty adult smokers were randomized to 1 of 3 conditions: standard booklet, minimally personalized booklet, or extensively personalized booklet. The interventions varied in their degree of ostensible tailoring, yet the actual smoking-related content of the booklets was identical. A dose-response relationship was hypothesized, with the greatest apparent tailoring producing the most positive outcomes. This pattern was found for evaluation of the booklets, with trends for readiness to change and self-efficacy increases. Moreover, as hypothesized, the effect of the interventions on readiness was moderated by participants' expectancies about tailoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relapse prevention remains a major challenge to smoking cessation efforts. T. H. Brandon, B. N. Collins, L. M. Juliano, and A. B. Lazev (2000) found that a series of 8 empirically based relapse-prevention booklets mailed to ex-smokers over 1 year significantly reduced relapse. This study dismantled 2 components of that intervention: the amount of content (number of booklets) and the frequency of contact. Content and contact were crossed in a 2 × 2 factorial design. The criteria of at least I week of abstinence at baseline was met by 431 participants, 75%-85% of whom returned 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-up questionnaires. Eight booklets produced consistently higher point-prevalence abstinence rates than did a single booklet, but frequency of contact did not affect outcome. Moreover, the high-content interventions were highly cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with schizophrenia have a much higher prevalence of tobacco smoking, a lower cessation rate, and a higher incidence of tobacco-related diseases than the general population. The initial challenge has been to motivate these individuals to quit smoking. This study tested whether motivational inter- viewing is effective in motivating smokers with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder to seek tobacco dependence treatment. Participants (N = 78) were randomly assigned to receive a 1-session motivational interviewing (MI) intervention, standard psychoeducational counseling, or advice only. As hypothesized, a greater proportion of participants receiving the MI intervention contacted a tobacco dependence treatment provider (32%, 11%, and 0%, respectively) and attended the 1st session of counseling (28%, 9%, and 0%) by the I-month follow-up as compared with those receiving comparison interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practicing psychologists are well positioned to provide at least minimal interventions for tobacco dependence among their clients. Because smoking covaries with psychopathology, a substantial proportion of psychologists' clients are likely to be smokers. Psychologists have expertise in motivating behavior change, and they have greater contact and stronger relationships with their patients than do most other health providers. Despite these advantages, the current study found that psychologists were less likely to intervene for tobacco use than for other client behaviors, such as alcohol or illicit drug abuse. Psychologists do not regularly ask their clients whether they smoke, advise them to quit, assess their willingness to quit, assist them with quitting, or arrange follow-up. Recommendations for additional training are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R. Eisenberger's (1992) learned industriousness theory states that individuals display differing degrees of persistence depending on their history of reinforcement for effortful behavior. These differences may influence the development, maintenance, and cessation of addictive behaviors. In cross-sectional studies, E. P. Quinn, T. H. Brandon, and A. L. Copeland (1996) found that cigarette smokers were less persistent than nonsmokers, and R. A. Brown, C. W. Lejuez, C. W. Kahler, and D. R. Strong (2002) found that smokers who had previously abstained for 3 months were more persistent than those who had never quit. The present study extended these findings by using a prospective design. A pretreatment measure of task persistence (mirror tracing) completed by 144 smokers predicted sustained abstinence throughout 12 months of follow-up. Moreover, persistence predicted outcome independent of other significant predictors: gender, nicotine dependence, negative affect, and self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smokers' responses to the Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Adult (A. L. Copeland, T. H. Brandon, & E. P. Quinn, 1995) were used to determine whether smoking outcome expectancies are moderated by subjective evaluations (desirability ratings) in their effect on smoking-related variables. Hierarchical regression in a reanalysis of data from A. L. Copeland et al. indicated that the product of probability and desirability ratings accounted for a significant amount of variance in smoking rate, nicotine dependence, saliva cotinine, and posttreatment smoking status above that accounted for by probability and desirability ratings alone. Results indicate that desirability ratings serve as moderators to probability ratings in explaining current smoking, nicotine dependence, and continued smoking. Effects were modest in magnitude but suggest that it may be important to address subjective evaluations of outcomes in smoking cessation and relapse prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the influence of pavlovian conditioning models on the development of cue exposure treatments for drug abuse. Role of context on extinction performance; Reduction of saliva and urge reactivity to alcohol cues; Use of extinction cue to improve the generalizability of exposure therapies.

The balanced placebo design (BPD) was used to evaluate the independent effects of nicotine dose and smoking-related expectancies on self-reported anxiety, urge to smoke, and withdrawal symptoms. After anxious mood was induced, participants smoked either a de-nicotinized cigarette or one with standard nicotine content. Nicotine dose was crossed with instructions that the cigarette was either de-nicotinized or standard. Nicotine cigarettes produced greater anxiety reduction than de-nicotinized cigarettes. Nicotine instructions attenuated anxiety only among those who held relevant expectancies. Nicotine dose and instructional set interacted such that either nicotine cigarettes or instructions that the cigarettes contained nicotine were sufficient to reduce urge to smoke. Implications of these findings and methodological issues regarding use of the BPD with cigarettes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates minimal interventions for preventing the relapse of former smokers. Use of repeated relapse-prevention mailings and a telephone hot line; Participants who met the criterion of at least one week of abstinence at baseline; Relapse of participants who have been sent relapse-prevention mailings.

Presents a study that evaluates comparative effectiveness and possible routes of impact of two counseling treatments (supportive counseling and skills training) and two nicotine exposure treatments (rapid smoking and nicotine chewing gum). Counseling interventions; Nicotine exposure interventions; Method; Results; Discussion.

Based on a model in which self-control (SC) is considered to be a limited resource, research suggests that diminished SC resources may increase the likelihood of tobacco smoking. Yet, the inverse—how smoking may influence SC resources—has not been tested. The authors of this study utilized a randomized, 2 × 2 crossed-factorial (SC Depletion Manipulation × Smoking Manipulation), between-subjects design to test the hypothesis that smoking restores depleted SC resources. To manipulate SC depletion, experimenters instructed half of 132 nicotine dependent smokers to suppress their emotional reaction to a brief video depicting environmental damage (i.e., depletion), whereas the other half were instructed to "act natural" (i.e., no depletion) during viewing. Half of the participants in each condition then smoked a cigarette, whereas the other half sat patiently without smoking (i.e., smoke vs. no smoke). All participants then completed behavioral measures of SC. As hypothesized, an interaction occurred between the depletion and smoking manipulations for duration of time spent on a frustrating mirror-tracing task. That is, depletion reduced persistence on the task, unless depletion was followed by smoking. This effect was mediated by positive affect (PA). Thus, smoking appeared to restore depleted SC resources via modulation of PA, but independent of negative affect or smoking urges. These findings suggest that restoration of SC resources may represent another means by which smoking is negatively reinforced. The application of the self-control strength model to the study of nicotine dependence may inform the development of novel treatment modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Racial and ethnic disparities in smoking cessation persist. This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for cessation among African American/Black, Latino/Hispanic, and White adults., Method: African American/Black (39%), Latino/Hispanic (29%), and White (32%) adults ( N = 347) were randomly assigned to eight group sessions of CBT or general health education (GHE), both including nicotine patch therapy. Biochemically confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence (7-day ppa) was measured at the end-of-therapy, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Generalized linear mixed models and logistic regressions tested abstinence rates by condition, stratified by race and ethnicity, and interaction effects., Results: CBT led to greater abstinence than GHE across 12-months of follow-up (AOR = 1.84, 95% CI [1.59, 2.13]) overall [12-month follow-up: CBT = 54% vs. GHE = 38%] and within racial and ethnic groups [12-months: African American/Black (CBT = 52%, GHE = 29%), Latino/Hispanic (CBT = 57%, GHE = 47%), and White (CBT = 54%, GHE = 41%)]. African American participants were less likely than White participants to quit irrespective of condition, as were persons with lower education and income. Socioeconomic status indicators positively predicted abstinence among racial and ethnic minority participants, but not White participants., Conclusions: Group CBT was efficacious compared with GHE. However, cessation patterns suggested that intensive group interventions were less beneficial over the longer term among lower socioeconomic African American and Latino individuals, compared with White participants. Tobacco interventions should target racial and ethnic and socioeconomic differences, via culturally specific approaches and other means. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Cue-exposure therapy (CET) aims to extinguish conditioned cue reactivity (CR) to aid in smoking cessation. A key disadvantage of extant CET is its limited ability to generalize extinction to the real world. Our team developed a set of augmented reality smoking-related and neutral cues that can appear in real-time in smokers' natural environments as viewed through a smartphone screen. Prior to deployment as a clinical tool, the present study tested the ability of AR smoking cues to extinguish CR in a controlled laboratory study with an AR smartphone application developed for this project. We hypothesized that daily smokers who completed a single session of cue exposure with AR smoking cues (extinction condition) would demonstrate lower cue-provoked urge to smoke at posttest compared to those who viewed AR neutral cues (control condition)., Method: Daily smokers ( N = 129, 46.5% female, M age = 47.6, M cigarettes/day = 19.1) in acute abstinence were randomized to either the extinction or control condition comprising 28 AR trials., Results: As hypothesized, we found a Time × Condition interaction indicating that posttest urge ratings were lower in the extinction condition than in the control condition ( p = .034). A secondary hypothesis that participants in the extinction condition would show a longer latency to smoke when provided a cigarette was not supported., Conclusions: These laboratory findings provide evidence supporting the potential clinical efficacy of AR cues for cue-exposure trials, setting the stage for testing in smokers' naturalistic environments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Cross-sectional and experimental research has shown that female smokers use cigarettes to manage dietary restraint and body image dissatisfaction. The goal of this study was to investigate the cross-motivational impact of food and cigarettes by comparing attentional bias to smoking images against other images (food and jewelry) and testing how in vivo stimuli (cigarettes, food, and jewelry) affect attentional bias to these images. Thirty-five female smokers completed 3 image-viewing tasks during which they viewed images containing smoking, food, and jewelry pictorial stimuli. During these tasks, participants held smoking, food, or jewelry in vivo stimuli, and eye-tracking technology collected gaze data. We hypothesized that in vivo appetitive stimuli would produce attentional bias, with in vivo smoking stimuli increasing attention to smoking images and in vivo food stimuli increasing attention to smoking and food images. However, in vivo cigarettes and snack foods did not prime attentional biases to pictorial smoking or food stimuli. Yet, initial and maintained attention to smoking images were greater than attention to food and jewelry images when participants were administered an active comparison in vivo stimulus (jewelry). The results in this in vivo condition replicate previous research demonstrating attentional biases for smoking images among smokers, and they extend it by including the appetitive food comparison condition. These results also show that attention allocation changes when smokers encounter appetitive in vivo stimuli. Thus, this study demonstrates that establishing external validity in attentional bias research is challenging, and it encourages further psychometric exploration of such methodologies through other procedural manipulations. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)

An extensive literature documents a close association between cigarette and alcohol use. The joint pharmacological effects of alcohol and nicotine on smoking and drinking motivation may help explain this relationship. This experiment was designed to test the separate and combined pharmacological effects of nicotine and a low dose of alcohol (equivalent to 1-2 standard drinks) on substance use motivation using a double-blind and fully crossed within-subjects design. Participants (N = 87) with a wide range of smoking and drinking patterns completed 4 counterbalanced experimental sessions during which they consumed an alcohol (male: 0.3g/kg; female: 0.27g/kg) or placebo beverage and smoked a nicotine (.6 mg) or placebo cigarette. Outcome measures assessed the impact of drug administration (alcohol or nicotine) on craving to smoke, craving to drink, affect, and liking of the beverage and cigarette. Results indicated that combined administration produced higher cravings to smoke for the entire sample, as well as higher cravings to drink among women and lighter drinkers. Heavier users of either alcohol or cigarettes also exhibited enhanced sensitivity to the effects of either drug in isolation. Separate, but not interactive, effects of alcohol and nicotine on mood were observed as well as both same-drug and cross-drug effects on beverage and cigarette liking. Together, these findings support the notion that the interactive pharmacological effects of nicotine and low doses of alcohol play an important role in motivating contemporaneous use and suggest roles for cross-reinforcement and cross-tolerance in the development and maintenance of alcohol and nicotine use and dependence., (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.)

The prevalence of tobacco smoking among persons with recurrent pain is approximately twice that observed in the general population. Smoking has been associated with the development and exacerbation of several chronically painful conditions. Conversely, there is both experimental and cross-sectional evidence that pain is a potent motivator of smoking. A recent study provided the first evidence that laboratory-induced pain could elicit increased craving and produce shorter latencies to smoke (Ditre & Brandon, 2008). To further elucidate interrelations between pain and smoking, and to identify potential targets for intervention, in the current study, we tested whether several constructs derived from social-cognitive theory influence the causal pathway between pain and increased motivation to smoke. Smokers (N = 132) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions in this 2 x 2 between-subjects experimental design. Results indicated that manipulations designed to (a) challenge smoking-related outcome expectancies for pain reduction and (b) enhance pain-related coping produced decreased urge ratings and increased latencies to smoke, relative to controls. An unexpected interaction effect revealed that although each manipulation was sufficient to reduce smoking urges, the combination was neither additive nor synergistic. These findings were integrated with those of the extant literature to conceptualize and depict a causal pathway between pain and motivation to smoke as moderated by smoking-related outcome expectancies and mediated by the use of pain coping behaviors., (Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

Exposing smokers to either external cues (e.g., pictures of cigarettes) or internal cues (e.g., negative affect induction) can induce urge to smoke and other behavioral and physiological responses. However, little is known about whether the two types of cues interact when presented in close proximity, as is likely the case in the real word. Additionally, potential moderators of cue reactivity have rarely been examined. Finally, few cue-reactivity studies have used representative samples of smokers. In a randomized 2 x 2 crossed factorial between-subjects design, the current study tested the effects of a negative affect cue intended to produce anxiety (speech preparation task) and an external smoking cue on urge and behavioral reactivity in a community sample of adult smokers (N = 175), and whether trait impulsivity moderated the effects. Both types of cues produced main effects on urges to smoke, despite the speech task failing to increase anxiety significantly. The speech task increased smoking urge related to anticipation of negative affect relief, whereas the external smoking cues increased urges related to anticipation of pleasure; however, the cues did not interact. Impulsivity measures predicted urge and other smoking-related variables, but did not moderate cue-reactivity. Results suggest independent rather than synergistic effects of these contributors to smoking motivation., ((PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).)

A recent experimental study found that activation of negative body image cognitions produced urges to smoke in young women (E. N. Lopez, D. J. Drobes, J. K. Thompson, & T. H. Brandon, 2008). This study intended to replicate and extend these experimental findings by examining the role of negative affect as a mediator of the relationship between body dissatisfaction and smoking urges. Female college smokers (N=133) were randomly assigned to a body image challenge (trying on a bathing suit) or a control condition (evaluating a purse). State levels of urge to smoke, mood, and body dissatisfaction were assessed both pre- and postmanipulation. Trying on a bathing suit increased body dissatisfaction and reported urges to smoke, particularly those urges related to reducing negative affect. Additionally, state negative affect mediated the relationship between the body image manipulation and smoking urge. This study provides additional support, through an experimental design, that situational challenges to body image influence smoking motivation and that this effect occurs, at least in part, through increases in negative affect. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed., (Copyright (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.)