Generalized and Domain-Specific Episodic Thinking for Smoking Cessation: An 8-Week Pilot and Feasibility Trial
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Summary
Cigarette smoking remains common, particularly in rural areas, despite ample evidence that smoking causes cancer and respiratory disease. Successful smoking cessation yields the majority of its health benefits (e.g., avoidance of lung cancer) after years of sustained behavioral change; however, people who smoke cigarettes tend to show elevated rates of delay discounting (i.e., devaluation of delayed outcomes) and a bias for immediate gratification. The overall goal of this project is to develop different versions of an episodic future thinking intervention (i.e., visualization of the future) and test their feasibility and efficacy for smoking cessation in rural and urban populations.
Description
Cigarette smoking causes more than a dozen cancers, including cancers of the head and neck, colon, bladder, and lung. Although quitting smoking drastically reduces the risk of cancer mortality, rates of cessation are low, particularly in rural areas and other communities. Current evidence-based treatments for smoking cessation have made progress, but substantial room for innovation remains and novel strategies are needed. Successful smoking cessation may be considered, in part, an intertemporal choice between continuing to smoke and achieving the delayed health benefits associated with quittin…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 21+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * smoked cigarettes daily for the last 30 days; * salivary cotinine \> 30 ng/mL, consistent with tobacco use; * plan to quit smoking in the next 30 days Exclusion Criteria: * prior diagnosis with a smoking-related illness (e.g., respiratory disease); * past 30-day use any smoking cessation treatment; * anxiety or mood disorders; and * medical contraindications for use of nicotine replacement therapy (e.g. pregnancy).
Interventions
- BehavioralEpisodic Future Thinking (EFT)
Participants will engage in EFT for 8 weeks, three times a day. Participants will receive three daily text messages. Each prompt will link to a custom web interface that guides participants to read and vividly imagine one of their cues, chosen randomly. Visit times and durations will be recorded.
- BehavioralEpisodic Recent Thinking (ERT)
Participants will engage in ERT for 8 weeks, three times a day. Participants will receive three daily text messages. Each prompt will link to a custom web interface that guides participants to read and vividly imagine one of their cues, chosen randomly. Visit times and durations will be recorded.
- BehavioralDomain-specific episodic thinking
Content of the episodic thinking intervention will experiencing the symptoms of lung cancer during a broad range of personally meaningful, otherwise positive, events (e.g., social events, celebrations, spending times with friends and family).
- BehavioralGeneralized episodic thinking
Content of the episodic thinking intervention will include a broad range of personally meaningful, positive, events (e.g., social events, celebrations, spending times with friends and family).
Location
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTCRoanoke, Virginia