Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-rnpqb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-05T06:24:57.113Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Psychological Factors and Long-Term Abstinence After Smoking Cessation Treatment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Hedwig Boudrez*
Affiliation:
Ghent University Hospital, Belgium. hedwig.boudrez@ugent.be
*
*Address for correspondence: Hedwig Boudrez, Stop-Smoking Clinic, University Hospital Ghent, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.

Abstract

This study evaluated the association between psychological variables, measured by questionnaire at the start of a smoking cessation treatment, and smoking abstinence, 8 years after treatment. A total of 124 patients presenting at the stop-smoking clinic of the University Hospital in Ghent, Belgium, were included. Besides the Reasons for Smoking Scale (RSS), Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and smoking status, a psychological questionnaire (NEO PI-R) was presented at baseline. A postal survey after 8 years was executed in order to assess smoking status and smoke-free survival. In 2008, 103/124 answered the postal survey. 66/103 (64.1%) had relapsed. More men then women were smoke-free (46.2% vs. 18.4%; p = .004). Several associations between psychological baseline characteristics and smoking status at follow-up were detected: lower abstinence at follow-up was associated with lower self-discipline (p = .001), lower goal-directedness (p = .03), higher score on symptoms of depression (p = .03), higher anxiety score (p = .01), higher score on the variable shame (p = .02). Some of these associations are confirmed by Kaplan-Meier survival scores that show borderline significance in case of depression (p = .06), statistically significance in case of self-discipline (p = .05) and shame (p = .05) and clear statistical significance in case of anxiety (p = .007). An association between psychological variables at the start of a smoking cessation treatment and smoking abstinence, even after 8 years, can be accepted.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)