Looming Vulnerability and Smoking Cessation Attempts

Approach Participants and Eligibility Criteria

The investigators plan to enroll 290 participants, recruited via newspaper, radio, and online ads, flyers distributed in the community, and letters to healthcare providers. Ads will recruit adults who smoke at least 10 cigarettes/day and are willing to participate in two sessions four weeks apart but will not mention smoking cessation.

Prospective participants must meet the following criteria at a phone screen:

1. Adults (age 18 or older).
2. Daily cigarette smokers (at least 10 cigarettes per day).
3. Total score of 5 or below on the Modified Mini Screen and score of 0 on the suicidality item.
4. Fluent in English.
5. Not planning to leave the Washington, DC area in the next month.

The Modified Mini Screen (MMS) is a safety precaution for the looming vulnerability induction, which on average increases state anxiety. Those scoring 6 or higher on the MMS are considered at moderate to high risk of having anxiety, mood, or psychotic disorders. The MMS is a modification of the MINI and appears to work equally well for men and women and for Caucasians and African Americans; the investigators are using the lowest (most conservative) cutoff score recommended on the basis of research validating the MMS against a full diagnostic interview (SCID). Prospective participants excluded on this basis will be offered therapy in a departmental training clinic, as well as alternate local referrals, outside the context of this research project.