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BackgroundThere is a pressing need to address the unacceptable disparities and underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minority groups, including Hispanics or Latinxs, in smoking cessation trials. ObjectiveGiven the lack of research on recruitment strategies for this population, this study aims to assess effective recruitment methods based on enrollment and cost. MethodsRecruitment and enrollment data were collected from a nationwide randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a Spanish-language smoking cessation intervention (N=1417). The effectiveness of each recruitment strategy was evaluated by computing the cost per participant (CPP), which is the ratio of direct cost over the number enrolled. More effective strategies yielded lower CPPs. Demographic and smoking-related characteristics of participants recruited via the two most effective strategies were also compared (n=1307). ResultsFacebook was the most effective method (CPP=US $74.12), followed by TV advertisements (CPP=US $191.31), whereas public bus interior card advertising was the least effective method (CPP=US $642.50). Participants recruited via Facebook had lower average age (P=.008) and had spent fewer years in the United States (P

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]

Prior research indicates bisexual individuals have higher smoking and vaping rates and heightened vulnerability to negative health outcomes. Thus, we compared adult bisexual (n = 294) and heterosexual (n = 2412) participants enrolled in a smoking cessation trial on baseline smoking and vaping use behaviors, motivations, and expectancies/beliefs as well as follow-up smoking and vaping status. This is a secondary analysis of a large randomized controlled trial testing a smoking cessation intervention for dual users of combustible and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the United States. Self-reported 7-day point prevalence smoking and vaping abstinence were collected at 3-, 12-, and 24-month assessments. Bisexual and heterosexual participants did not differ in sociodemographic variables or baseline smoking and vaping history and behavior. We found significant differences among bisexual and heterosexual individuals in smoking and vaping beliefs/expectancies. Specifically, bisexual participants expressed overall greater positive expectancies regarding smoking and vaping, such as smoking and vaping to reduce negative affect and stress. There were no differences in smoking at any follow-up assessment. Only at 3 months were bisexual individuals more likely to be abstinent from vaping and less likely to be dual users than heterosexual individuals. Despite similar smoking and vaping status over time, bisexual individuals reported greater positive expectancies regarding smoking and vaping. Our findings revealed few targets for tailoring cessation interventions to bisexual individuals; thus, it is possible that there may be greater utility in targeting the disparities in prevalence (i.e., via prevention efforts). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability and validity of the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRPS) was examined in a noninstitutionalized offender sample of mixed gender and race. Adequate alpha coefficients were obtained for the total sample and across gender and race. The SRPS was compared to measures of trait anxiety and passive avoidance errors. SRPS total, primary, and secondary scores were positively and significantly correlated with trait anxiety and passive avoidance (commission) errors, but not omission errors. Employing hierarchical regression models, no anxiety, gender, or ethnic effects were found. Intelligence confounded the relationship between psychopathic traits and passive avoidance errors. Findings provide tentative support of the SRPS as a valid measure of psychopathy. (Contains 5 tables and 1 note.)

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]

Objective: To place college drinking within its larger developmental context, we reviewed studies that compare drinking behavior among college students with that of their age-matched non-student peers. Among the recurrent themes identified across these studies, we particularly noted discrepancies in the conceptualization and operationalization of both college status and noncollege status. These discrepancies, and other methodological variations, were then examined because they influence conclusions about drinking outcomes. Method: Eighteen studies directly comparing college students with nonstudents were reviewed. Results: College students drank more than noncollege peers and, in general, drank more frequently than did noncollege peers, although these differences were likely the result of factors other than college attendance itself. Younger people drank more than older peers in both groups. College students also tended to be more at risk for alcohol-related problems, including alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, again likely the result of factors other than college attendance per se. Conclusions: This review highlights the lack of consensus in the conceptualization and operationalization of college and noncollege status across studies, as well as the importance of variables such as living situation, age, full-time and part-time status, and type of college, which may be more directly related to variations in alcohol consumption than is college status itself. Future investigations of college drinking should place this phenomenon within the larger context of developmental processes associated with this time of life., INCREASINGLY AVAILABLE DATA on the lifetime patterns of alcohol consumption in the United States have made apparent that drinking increases rapidly during the teen years to reach lifetime peaks during [...]

Background: Hispanic/Latinx smokers living in the United States face unique challenges in quitting smoking. This study evaluated the efficacy of a culturally relevant, Spanish‐language, extended self‐help smoking cessation intervention among Hispanic smokers. Methods: A 2‐arm parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted with Hispanic/Latinx smokers living in the United States who preferred health information in Spanish and smoked 5 or more cigarettes per week. Participants were randomly allocated to receive Libre del Cigarrillo (LDC), which consisted of 11 booklets and 9 pamphlets mailed monthly over 18 months, or the usual care (UC), which was a single Spanish‐language self‐help booklet from the National Cancer Institute. The primary outcome was self‐reported 7‐day point prevalence smoking abstinence assessed 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the baseline. Eight prespecified moderators of the intervention were evaluated. Cost‐effectiveness was also evaluated. All statistical tests were 2‐sided. Results: Data from all participants randomized to LDC (n = 714) or UC (n = 703) were used for analyses after multiple imputation to manage missing data. Generalized estimating equation analyses indicated that LDC abstinence rates were higher (P <.001) across all assessments. Logistic regression analyses revealed that at 24 months, the abstinence rate was greater for LDC (33.1%) than UC (24.3%; odds ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.18‐2.02; P =.002). Men exhibited a strong intervention effect at all assessments (P values <.001), whereas the intervention effect for women was observed only at 6 and 12 months (P values <.018). In comparison with UC, the incremental cost per quitter in the LDC arm was $648.43 at 18 months and $683.93 at 24 months. Conclusions: A culturally relevant, Spanish‐language intervention was efficacious and cost‐effective for smoking cessation. Lay Summary: Research is needed to develop interventions for ethnic minority smokers.The aim of the current study was to test a Spanish‐language adaptation of a validated and easily implemented self‐help smoking cessation intervention in a nationwide randomized controlled trial.The findings demonstrated that the intervention produced greater smoking abstinence in comparison with a standard self‐help booklet.Participants also were more satisfied with the intervention, and it was cost‐effective.Efforts aimed at promoting tobacco abstinence in this underserved population could have significant public health implications, including potential reductions in cancer health disparities associated with tobacco smoking. This large, nationwide randomized controlled trial demonstrates that a culturally relevant, Spanish‐language, extended self‐help intervention is efficacious and cost‐effective for smoking cessation, and it supports the tailoring of interventions to Hispanics by identifying and integrating cultural values. The evaluated intervention approach has potential for broad dissemination and reach to reduce cigarette smoking and has implications for cancer prevention because smoking is the primary risk factor for lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic men and is second only to breast cancer among Hispanic women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological adjustment was assessed in a sample of 525 female and 191 male adoptees. Analyses were conducted by gender; by search status, i.e., those who had never searched, those who were searching, and those who had made contact with their biological parents; and by history of mental health service utilization. Compared to normative data, the sample reported significantly higher levels of psychological maladjustment; only women adoptees scored higher on a scale measuring anger. Overall, adoptees' scores were elevated but did not approach levels typical of outpatient populations.