Depressive symptoms and smoking cessation among inner-city African Americans using the nicotine patch

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and smoking cessation among a sample of inner-city African American smokers using the nicotine patch. Analyses were conducted on data from a previous randomized trial that tested the effects of culturally sensitive vs. standard self-help quitting materials. The study sample consisted of 498 African American smokers (mean age = 42.95, SD = 10.40; 60% female) recruited from a large hospital. Participants in both groups received 8 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy. Level of smoking, quit status, and depressive symptoms (Medical Outcomes Survey Short Depression Screen) were assessed at baseline, week 4 (mid-treatment), and 6-month follow-up. Analyses that controlled for randomization group generally did not support the hypothesis that baseline levels of depressive symptoms predict smoking at Week 4 or Month 6. Cross-sectional analyses at each time point indicated that depressive symptoms were positively associated with smoking level (both: beta = 0.24, p < .05). Changes (increases) in depressive symptoms from baseline to week 4 predicted higher smoking levels at follow-up (beta = 0.19, p < .05). Although the results indicated a significant association between depressive symptoms and level of smoking, they generally did not support the notion that depressive symptoms are associated with failure to quit.

Factors That Explain Differences in Abstinence Between Black and White Smokers: A Prospective Intervention Study

“…Previous studies in racially and socioeconomically diverse samples have found in post hoc analyses that race and SES independently predict abstinence, but studies were not designed or powered to examine race differences and did not account for racial differences in socioeconomic disadvantage in recruitment or the interrelatedness of these constructs in their analyses (24,51,98,99). Blacks in the United States are more disadvantaged than whites (44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59). Our study improves on prior literature by understanding factors associated with race that explain black-white differences in abstinence.…”

A rationale and model for addressing tobacco dependence in substance abuse treatment

“…Bupropion has been shown to be effective for smoking cessation among people with a history of alcoholism [ 50 ], and in conjunction with NRT is a promising cessation regimen for methadone patients [ 51 ]. Bupropion is also an antidepressant, although its efficacy for smoking cessation is independent of history of depression [ 50 ] and is not due to diminished post-cessation depression [ 52 ]. However, bupropion may confer some beneficial side effects on depressive symptoms among drug treatment patients, who experience higher rates of depression and depressive symptoms than found in the general population [ 53 ].…”

Distress, race/ethnicity and smoking cessation in treatment-seekers: implications for disparity elimination

“…Few studies have examined the association between depressive symptoms and smoking cessation among treatment‐seekers. Depressive symptoms are associated inversely with smoking cessation among whites and African Americans . In one study examining racial/ethnic differences, Castro et al .…”