EFFECTS OF SMOKING ABSTINENCE ON MOOD AND CRAVING IN MEN - INFLUENCESOF NEGATIVE-AFFECT-RELATED PERSONALITY-TRAITS, HABITUAL NICOTINE INTAKE AND REPEATED MEASUREMENTS
Dg. Gilbert et al., EFFECTS OF SMOKING ABSTINENCE ON MOOD AND CRAVING IN MEN - INFLUENCESOF NEGATIVE-AFFECT-RELATED PERSONALITY-TRAITS, HABITUAL NICOTINE INTAKE AND REPEATED MEASUREMENTS, Personality and individual differences, 25(3), 1998, pp. 399-423
A two-factor model of individual differences in smoking abstinence res
ponse was assessed. The two factors were nicotine bioadaptation (nicot
ine exposure and self-reported tolerance/dependence) and self-medicati
on for negative affect/psychopathology. Bioadaptation was expected to
promote transient increases in smoking abstinence-related negative aff
ect, while self-medication was expected to be related to relatively pe
rmanent increases in negative affect. Of 56 male smokers starting, 50
completed the study, 30 of whom were randomly assigned to an immediate
cessation group and 20 to a continuing-to-smoke control group. Mood a
nd craving were repeatedly measured with the Profile of Mood States (P
OMS) and the Shiffman Withdrawal Questionnaire, administered twice per
week during a three-week pre-quit baseline period and every 48 h duri
ng the 30-day abstinence phase. POMS negative moods decreased signific
antly across the six pre-quit baseline days even though there was no s
moking cessation-related intervention during this time, a finding with
implications for the question of whether quitters return to pre-quit
levels of negative affect. Support for the two-factor model was provid
ed by three of our findings. First, POMS Depression, Tension and Anger
increased in the quit group after quitting and never returned to leve
ls corresponding to the continuing-to-smoke controls even after 30 day
s of abstinence. Second, trait depression assessed prior to smoking ab
stinence correlated with abstinence-related increases in POMS state de
pressive affect score shortly after quitting and during the last eight
days of the study. Third, pre-quit cotinine concentration correlated
with increases in negative affect during the first 48 h of abstinence.
The findings suggest that previous studies should be interpreted with
caution because of their failure to take into account the repeated-me
asures effect and selective attrition. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.
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