Treatment completion and anxiety sensitivity effects on smoking cessation outcomes

Abstract

Introduction: Treatment completion is associated with abstinence outcomes in smoking cessation interventions. Previous research has stated that anxiety sensitivity (AS) is associated with smoking-related variables and smoking-cessation outcomes. To date, research has not examined the interaction between AS and treatment completion on smoking-cessation outcomes over time. This study aims to examine the main and the interactive effects of treatment completion and AS (total score and specific dimensions) on smoking-cessation outcomes at 3- , 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Method: The sample consisted of 210 smokers enrolled in an eight-session smoking-cessation cognitivebehavioral treatment (62.1% women; Mage = 45.2, SD = 11.0). Participants were classified as completers (attended the eight treatment sessions) and non-completers (attended ≤ 7 sessions). Abstinence was biochemically confirmed. Results: Main effects indicated that completers had a higher likelihood of being abstinent over time when compared to non-completers. Regarding AS, those with greater AS-Physical Concerns had lower abstinence rates. Besides, a significant interaction between treatment completion, time and AS-Physical Concerns was found. Particularly, completers with greater AS-Physical Concerns had a higher likelihood of being abstainers than noncompleters over time, while no significant differences were found for those with lower AS-Physical Concerns. Conclusion: These data highlight the relevance of AS-Physical levels and smoking-cessation treatment completion on abstinence outcomes over time among treatment-seeking smokers.