A qualitative study of the feasibility and acceptability of a smoking cessation program for people living with HIV and emotional dysregulation

Abstract

Despite high rates of co-occurring tobacco use and anxiety among persons living with HIV, evidence-based interventions for these individuals are limited. An existing cognitive-behavioral treatment protocol for smoking cessation and anxiety (Norton & Barrera, 2012) was modified to address transdiagnostic constructs, such as anxiety sensitivity, distress tolerance, and depressive symptomatology (Labbe et al., 2017). This study examines the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention as determined from qualitative data from structured exit interviews from 10 participants who completed treatment. Results demonstrated that participants were very motivated to quit smoking and enrolled in the program for health-related reasons and to be able to quit. Participants found nearly all the treatment components (i.e., psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, behavioral experiments, homework) to be useful for reaching their smoking cessation goal and in managing emotional dysregulation. Last, all participants stated that they would strongly recommend the treatment program. This qualitative study provides initial evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of a modified smoking cessation treatment protocol for HIV+ individuals with anxiety and emotional dysregulation. Future research will focus on evaluating the efficacy of the protocol in a full-scale randomized controlled trial, as well as working to collect qualitative data from participants who discontinue treatment to better understand reasons for treatment attrition.

COPD in People with HIV: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Management, and Prevention Strategies

“…[210][211][212][213] Tailoring smoking cessation therapies to this population is an active area of research. 209,[214][215][216][217][218][219][220][221][222][223][224][225][226] Increased awareness among HIV care providers of the importance of smoking cessation, financial support for smoking cessation initiatives, and intervention studies inclusive of PWH are needed to identify the best ways to support smokers with HIV on their path to quitting.…”