The Effects of Regulatory Focus on Responding to and Avoiding Slips in a Longitudinal Study of Smoking Cessation

Abstract

Promotion and prevention focus have been shown to uniquely predict the initiation and maintenance of behavior change, but the behavioral tasks underlying these effects have not been specified. We examined the effects of regulatory focus on how smokers responded to initial slips and whether smokers were able to avoid slips after initial cessation. After slipping, smokers higher versus lower in promotion focus were more likely to quit again, particularly if they were high in self-efficacy. Of participants quit for 2 months, smokers higher versus lower in prevention focus more consistently avoided slips, but only if they were high in self-efficacy. Implications for regulatory focus theory and behavior change theory are discussed.

Regulatory Focus, Proximity to Goal Weight, and Weight Loss Maintenance

“…Thus, promotion-focused people should be well suited to initiating changes that are focused on benefits, whereas prevention-focused people should be well suited to maintaining change as a means to preserve desired outcomes. Research in both the laboratory 22 and field 12,26 has supported these premises. Important to the present investigation, of successful losers (≥ 5% of initial weight), Fuglestad et al 12 found that promotion-focused people performed well if they were far from their goal weights (ie, still striving to attain desired outcomes), whereas prevention-focused people performed well if they were close to their goal weights (ie, vigilantly preserving desired outcomes).…”

“…Furthermore, conditions of non-fit (ie, when strategy by which an outcome is pursued does not match one’s psychological/motivational disposition) can result in poorer functioning. 26,31,32 It may be that the incongruence between the intervention strategy provided (a maintenance focus) and people’s readiness for maintenance (still far from weight loss goals) did not work well for people who were prevention-focused. Perhaps these people became overwhelmed by the onset of weight gain after having worked to achieve significant weight loss.…”

“…Interactions with weight loss goals were expected such that promotion focus would be most beneficial for participants who were far from their weight goals at the start of the intervention and prevention focus would be beneficial for participants who were close to their weight goals at the start of the intervention. Schokker et al 27 and Fuglestad et al 26 suggest that successful behavior change is predicated upon possessing both the self-regulatory skills and regulatory focus that fit with a particular behavioral challenge. For example, in a study of smoking cessation, 26 people who were prevention-focused and high in self-efficacy (skills) were particularly likely to avoid lapses after initial success (a vigilance task that fits with prevention focus).…”

“…Schokker et al 27 and Fuglestad et al 26 suggest that successful behavior change is predicated upon possessing both the self-regulatory skills and regulatory focus that fit with a particular behavioral challenge. For example, in a study of smoking cessation, 26 people who were prevention-focused and high in self-efficacy (skills) were particularly likely to avoid lapses after initial success (a vigilance task that fits with prevention focus). In the present study, the guided condition should engender the requisite self-regulatory skills needed for successful weight control.…”

The effect of regulatory focus and time preference on the dual process of physical activity: A cross‐sectional study among nurses

“…For example, promotion focus predicted higher initiation of both smoking cessation and weight loss, whereas prevention focus predicted higher maintenance over a year (Fuglestad et al, 2008). Similarly, it was found that after relapses, promotion‐focused smokers were more likely to quit smoking again, but were less likely to prevent future relapses after 2 months of smoking cessation (Fuglestad, Rothman, & Jeffery, 2013). Based on the above reasoning, it could be suggested that for the low active group of nurses, who still did not develop a habit, promotion focus helps initiating the process of habitual physical activity.…”