Examining Outcome Expectancies and Behavioral Reinforcers Among Young Adult Smokers

American University159 enrolled

Overview

Chronic cigarette smoking habits often begin in adolescence or early adulthood. 98% of cigarette smokers try their first cigarette before the age of 26. Thus, young adult smokers represent an important target for early smoking cessation intervention. This study tests two interventions designed to increase motivation to quit and decrease smoking behavior. These interventions include: an expectancy challenge approach, which aims to increase negative beliefs about the consequences of smoking; and a behavioral economics approach, which encourages participants to substitute non-smoking behaviors that may still provide reinforcement similar to reinforcement derived from smoking a cigarette.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

159

Conditions

Smoking Cessation

Interventions

Expectancy challenge intervention (see description in study arms).

Expectancy Challenge + Behavioral ActivationBEHAVIORAL

Expectancy challenge + behavioral activation interventions (see description in study arms)

ControlBEHAVIORAL

Neutral reading condition (see description in study arms).

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 35 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * 18-35 years old * English fluency * Living in the United States * Smoked at least 1 cigarette per week during the past month * Willing to be contacted for 1-month follow up assessment Exclusion Criteria: * N/A

Locations (1)

American University

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Quit attempt

yes/no, whether or not the participant made a 24-hour (or longer) quit attempt between the date of the main experiment and the date of the 4-week follow-up assessment.

Time frame: 4-week follow up

Motivation to quit

Contemplation ladder score (range 0-10; higher scores indicate more motivation to quit)

Time frame: 4-week follow up

Secondary Outcomes

Smoking rate

past month average self-reported smoking rate

Time frame: 4-week follow up

Outcome expectancies

Smoking Consequences Questionnaire (S-SCQ); expected positive and negative consequences of cigarette smoking (range 0-9; higher scores indicate greater positive or negative expectancies)

Time frame: 4-week follow up

Behavioral reinforcers

Pleasant Events Schedule (PES); reported behaviors that are pleasurable and not associated with smoking/urge to smoke

Time frame: 4-week follow up

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.