Early Withdrawal Exposure and Negative Affect Withdrawal (NAW) Regulation Training for Smoking Cessation
Overview
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Intervention
- cognitive-behavioral withdrawal regulation strategies
- Conditions
- Tobacco Dependence
- Sponsor
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Enrollment
- 400
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Smoking cessation as evaluated by self-reported, biochemically-confirmed seven-day point-prevalence abstinence
- Status
- Recruiting
- Last Updated
- last month
Overview
Brief Summary
Smoking remains the single most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, accounting for approximately half a million deaths every year. The current study will investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of change of a novel smoking cessation intervention. The current study will thus provide essential information regarding a treatment that has the potential to enhance the efficacy of existing smoking cessation interventions, thereby having a beneficial impact on the public health of the United States.
Detailed Description
Cigarette smoking remains the single most preventable cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. Long-term abstinence rates for even the most rigorous of smoking cessation treatments range between 20% and 35%. It is therefore essential that research continue to investigate novel smoking cessation interventions. Leading contemporary theories of addiction motivation posit that the escape or avoidance of negative affect withdrawal (NAW) symptoms (e.g., anger, anxiety, and depression/sadness) constitutes a strong motivational basis for cigarette smoking and plays a critical role in relapse to cigarette use. However, whereas NAW symptoms appear to exert a powerful influence on smoking cessation treatment outcome, smoking cessation interventions may exert only modest effects on NAW symptoms. Accordingly, it has been proposed that smoking cessation interventions may be augmented by aiding smokers in the practice of NAW regulation strategies. The primary goal of this investigation is to evaluate an early withdrawal exposure plus NAW regulation training intervention for smoking cessation. Specific aims include evaluating the efficacy of the treatment components and investigating potential mediators and moderators of the treatment components. Participants will be adult smokers (N = 400) of at least 5 cigarettes per day with the intention to quit smoking. Using a factorial design, participants will be randomized to early withdrawal exposure (yes vs. no) and behavioral intervention (NAW regulation training vs. relaxation control training), resulting in four distinct conditions. The investigator's primary hypothesis is that early withdrawal exposure plus NAW regulation training will produce higher rates of seven-day point-prevalence abstinence at 1, 3, and 6 months after end-of-treatment, suggesting a synergistic (i.e., non-additive) effect of the two intervention components. Mediators (e.g., in-session withdrawal symptoms) and moderators (e.g., demographic characteristics, tobacco dependence) will be investigated via established analyses. These data will advance the experimental intervention with a focus on targeting mechanisms of change as well as participant characteristics to which the intervention may be tailored. The experimental intervention described in the current proposal has the potential to ultimately enhance the efficacy of existing smoking cessation interventions and will therefore contribute uniquely to the field.
Investigators
Peter Hendricks
University Professor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •at least 18 years of age
- •smoke at least 5 cigarettes per day
- •Expired breath carbon monoxide (CO) reading of at least five parts per million
- •report the intention to quit
- •reside in the Birmingham area with no plan to relocate outside of the area in the next 6 months
- •access to a telephone
Exclusion Criteria
- •inability to speak English
- •presence of a condition that contraindicates use of the nicotine patch
- •presence of conditions that might interfere with compliance with the protocol or greatly complicate treatment
- •any acutely life-threatening disease
- •concurrent participation in a formal treatment program for smoking cessation
- •current use of any pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation
Arms & Interventions
Early Withdrawal Exposure plus NAW Regulation Training
The development, application, modification, and repeated practice of individualized withdrawal regulation strategies (e.g., behavioral and cognitive strategies for allaying withdrawal symptoms) across the first 4 hours of abstinence over 4 separate sessions.
Intervention: cognitive-behavioral withdrawal regulation strategies
Early Withdrawal Exposure plus NAW Regulation Training
The development, application, modification, and repeated practice of individualized withdrawal regulation strategies (e.g., behavioral and cognitive strategies for allaying withdrawal symptoms) across the first 4 hours of abstinence over 4 separate sessions.
Intervention: early withdrawal exposure
Early Withdrawal Exposure plus Relaxation Control Training
The development, application, modification, and repeated practice of relaxation strategies across the first 4 hours of abstinence over 4 separate sessions.
Intervention: relaxation strategies
Early Withdrawal Exposure plus Relaxation Control Training
The development, application, modification, and repeated practice of relaxation strategies across the first 4 hours of abstinence over 4 separate sessions.
Intervention: early withdrawal exposure
NAW Regulation Training Only
The development, application, modification, and repeated practice of individualized withdrawal regulation strategies (e.g., behavioral and cognitive strategies for allaying withdrawal symptoms) over 4 separate sessions involving smoking as usual.
Intervention: cognitive-behavioral withdrawal regulation strategies
Relaxation Control Training Only
The development, application, modification, and repeated practice of relaxation strategies over 4 separate sessions involving smoking as usual.
Intervention: relaxation strategies
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Smoking cessation as evaluated by self-reported, biochemically-confirmed seven-day point-prevalence abstinence
Time Frame: 6 months after end-of-treatment
Self reported abstinence from smoking ("no smoking, not even a puff) in the past seven days, biochemically confirmed by a breath carbon monoxide reading of 3 or less
Smoking cessation as evaluated by self-reported, biochemically-confirmed seven-day point-prevalence abstinence
Time Frame: 1 month after end-of-treatment
Self reported abstinence from smoking ("no smoking, not even a puff) in the past seven days, biochemically confirmed by a breath carbon monoxide reading of 3 or less
Smoking cessation as evaluated by self-reported, biochemically-confirmed seven-day point-prevalence abstinence
Time Frame: 3 months after end-of-treatment
Self reported abstinence from smoking ("no smoking, not even a puff) in the past seven days, biochemically confirmed by a breath carbon monoxide reading of 3 or less
Secondary Outcomes
- Physical tobacco dependence(6 months after end-of-treatment)
- Abstinence-related expectancies(6 months after end-of-treatment)
- Thoughts about abstinence(6 months after end-of-treatment)
- Motivational tobacco dependence(6 months after end-of-treatment)
- Withdrawal symptoms(6 months after end-of-treatment)
- Intolerance for smoking abstinence discomfort(6 months after end-of-treatment)
- Cessation milestones as determined by the Timeline Followback Interview(6 months after end-of-treatment)
- Cessation milestones as determined by the Timeline Followback Interview(1 month after end-of-treatment)
- Cessation milestones as determined by the Timeline Followback Interview(3 months after end-of-treatment)
- Physical tobacco dependence(1 month after end-of-treatment)
- Physical tobacco dependence(3 months after end-of-treatment)
- Motivational tobacco dependence(1 month after end-of-treatment)
- Motivational tobacco dependence(3 months after end-of-treatment)
- Withdrawal symptoms(1 month after end-of-treatment)
- Withdrawal symptoms(3 months after end-of-treatment)
- Abstinence-related expectancies(1 month after end-of-treatment)
- Abstinence-related expectancies(3 months after end-of-treatment)
- Thoughts about abstinence(1 month after end-of-treatment)
- Thoughts about abstinence(3 months after end-of-treatment)
- Intolerance for smoking abstinence discomfort(1 month after end-of-treatment)
- Intolerance for smoking abstinence discomfort(3 months after end-of-treatment)