Pretreatment task persistence predicts smoking cessation outcome.

Abstract

R. Eisenberger's (1992) learned industriousness theory states that individuals display differing degrees of persistence depending on their history of reinforcement for effortful behavior. These differences may influence the development, maintenance, and cessation of addictive behaviors. In cross-sectional studies, E. P. Quinn, T. H. Brandon, and A. L. Copeland (1996) found that cigarette smokers were less persistent than nonsmokers, and R. A. Brown, C. W. Lejuez, C. W. Kahler, and D. R. Strong (2002) found that smokers who had previously abstained for 3 months were more persistent than those who had never quit. The present study extended these findings by using a prospective design. A pretreatment measure of task persistence (mirror tracing) completed by 144 smokers predicted sustained abstinence throughout 12 months of follow-up. Moreover, persistence predicted outcome independent of other significant predictors: gender, nicotine dependence, negative affect, and self-efficacy.

A prospective examination of distress tolerance and early smoking lapse in adult self-quitters

“…This fi nding does not replicate that observed using the PASAT in the earlier study by Brown et al (2002) . Additionally, Brandon et al (2003) found that persistence to a different psychological challenge, mirror tracing, prospectively predicted time to smoking lapse. At this time, further work is needed to sort out the specifi city of task persistence under physical and/or psychological challenges in relation to smoking outcome.…”

“…A subsequent investigation by Brandon et al (2003) evaluated the predictive utility of persistence on behavioral tasks to relapse following treatment for smoking ( N = 144). Prior to treatment, participants completed a variety of behavioral persistence tasks, including an anagram persistence task (APT) and a mirrortracing persistence task (MTPT).…”

Anxiety sensitivity and anxiety and depressive symptoms in the prediction of early smoking lapse and relapse during smoking cessation treatment

“…These emotional factors are naturally only some of many possible emotional risk candidates for early lapse and relapse in smoking cessation. Future work could usefully continue to build multirisk factor models of early lapse and relapse by incorporating other promising affective-relevant variables, such as behavioral persistence and distress tolerance ( Brandon et al, 2003 ;Brown, Lejuez, Kahler, Strong, & Zvolensky, 2005 ).…”

Breath Holding Duration and Self-Reported Smoking Abstinence Intolerance as Predictors of Smoking Lapse Behavior in a Laboratory Analog Task

“…introDuction Distress intolerance (DI)-the perceived inability to manage negative somatic and affective states-is elevated among smokers relative to nonsmokers (Hajek, 1991;Steinberg et al, 2007;Zvolensky, Feldner, Eifert, & Brown, 2001), and high levels of DI predict early lapse following a quit smoking attempt (Brandon et al, 2003;Brown, Lejuez, Kahler, & Strong, 2002;Hajek, Belcher, & Stapleton, 1987). Prospective data suggest a 3 times higher risk of relapse among smokers with elevated versus low DI (Brown et al, 2009).…”

“…In smokers, behavioral measures of respiratory discomfort intolerance (breath holding [BH] and tolerance for breathing CO 2 -enriched air) appear most robustly related to smoking outcomes (Brown et al, 2009;Hajek et al, 1987), although frustration tolerance tasks also are predictive (e.g., Brandon et al, 2003;Brown et al, 2002). With selfreport measures, measures of nicotine withdrawal intolerance are more strongly associated with nicotine dependence and quitting history than measures of general intolerance of emotional and physical discomfort (Sirota et al, 2010).…”