Differences in smoking behavior and beliefs about abstinence among Latinx individuals with and without depression who smoke cigarettes

There is a well-established relation between depression and smoking in the general population. However, past work focused on Latinx persons who smoke in relation to depressed affect has yielded inconsistent findings. The present investigation aimed to build on past research and evaluate differences among English-speaking Latinx adults who smoke combustible cigarettes with and without probable depression in terms of cigarette dependence, perceived barriers for quitting, severity of problems when quitting, and smoking abstinence expectancies. The current sample included 338 adult Latinx daily cigarette smokers (Mage = 35.53 years; SD = 8.65; age range 18-61; 37.3% female) that were recruited nationally throughout the US. Results indicated that among Latinx persons who smoke, those with probable depression (compared to those without) demonstrated higher levels of cigarette dependence, more severe problems when trying to quit, greater perceived barriers for quitting, and increased negative abstinence expectancies after adjusting for sociodemographic and concurrent substance use variables. Future work could build from this research to elucidate the role of depression in the maintenance and relapse of smoking among the Latinx population.

Latinx Individuals Who Smoke Daily with and without a Probable Anxiety Disorder: Differences in Smoking Behavior and Beliefs about Abstinence

There is a well-established relation between anxiety psychopathology and smoking in the general population. However, little work focuses on Latinx/Hispanic (hereafter Latinx) persons who smoke from this comorbidity perspective. The present investigation aimed to explore differences among English-speaking Latinx adults who live in the United States (US) and smoke cigarettes with and without a probable anxiety disorder in terms of cigarette dependence, perceived barriers for quitting, severity of problems when quitting, and smoking abstinence expectancies. The sample included 338 adult Latinx daily cigarette smokers (Mage = 35.53 years; SD = 8.65; age range 18-61; 37.3% female) who identified as Latinx and were recruited nationally throughout the US. Results indicated that among Latinx persons who smoke, those with a probable anxiety disorder (compared to those without) were more likely to demonstrate higher levels of cigarette dependence, severity of problems when trying to quit, perceived barriers for quitting, and negative abstinence expectancies after adjusting for key variables linked to smoking and anxiety (e.g., hazardous drinking, education). The current findings are the first to document probable anxiety disorder status as a clinically relevant factor for a wide range of smoking variables and beliefs about abstinence among Latinx persons who smoke.

Anxiety symptoms and anxiety sensitivity in relation to cigarette dependence, perceived barriers for smoking cessation and quit problems among adult Latinx smokers

Cigarette smoking is associated with adverse physical and mental health among Latinx adults in the United States. The present investigation sought to explore the main and interactive effects of anxiety symptoms and anxiety sensitivity in relation to cigarette dependence, perceived barriers for smoking cessation, and severity of problems experienced when quitting among adult Latinx smokers. Participants included 338 Latinx adult daily cigarette smokers (Mage = 35.53 years; SD = 8.65; age range 18-61; 37.3% female). Results indicated that anxiety symptoms were associated with greater cigarette dependence, severity of problems when quitting, and perceived barriers for smoking cessation (effect size range: 2%-3% of variance), whereas anxiety sensitivity was related to severity of problems when quitting and perceived barriers for smoking cessation (effect size range: 2%-3% of variance). There was also a statistically significant interaction between anxiety sensitivity and anxiety symptoms for cigarette dependence; anxiety was related to cigarette dependence for Latinx smokers with higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, but not for those with lower levels of anxiety sensitivity. Overall, the present findings indicate that anxiety symptoms and anxiety sensitivity are relevant factors for better understanding cigarette dependence, problems experienced when trying to quit, and perceptions of barriers to quitting among adult Latinx smokers.

Antibody response of smokers to the COVID-19 vaccination: Evaluation based on cigarette dependence

Smokers may have lower antibody titers after vaccination with a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has evaluated antibody titers after COVID-19 vaccination based on the level of smokers' cigarette dependence. In this study, we measured the level of serum anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (anti-SARS-CoV-2) spike protein receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) immunoglobulin-G (IgG) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay of 55 actively smoking Japanese social workers (firefighters, paramedics, and rescue workers) who had received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Further, we assessed their cigarette dependence using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), measured their serum cotinine levels, and tested for their correlation with anti-RBD IgG levels. Serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD protein IgG levels after BNT162b2 vaccination showed a significant negative correlation with FTND (ρ = -0.426, p = 0.001). In addition, serum cotinine level showed a significant positive correlation with FTND (ρ = 0.470, p = 0.000). However, no significant negative correlation was noted between serum cotinine and serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD protein IgG levels (ρ = -0.156, p = 0.256). Our results suggest that smokers with strong cigarette dependence have inadequate anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD protein IgG levels after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.

Predictors of long-term abstinence rate by income level in the Korean smoking cessation programme

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To assess whether predictors of success in stopping smoking vary as a function of income level in Korean smoking cessation services.

DESIGN

Prospective study of predictors of smoking cessation up to 6 months' follow up.

PARTICIPANTS

A sample of 954 people (mean age 49.13 ± 10.69 years; 863 [90.5%] men) enrolled in the Korean National Health Insurance Service smoking cessation programme in 2015.

MEASURES

The outcome measure was self-reported continuous abstinence up to 6-month follow up. Predictors were income and other sociodemographic variables as well as smoking-related variables measured at baseline.

RESULTS

The continuous 6-month abstinence rate was 30.5%. The adjusted odds of 6-month continuous abstinence were lower among low-income versus the middle- or high-income smokers (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.35-0.84), those with severe versus light/moderate cigarette dependence (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52-0.98), and use of bupropion versus varenicline (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.39-0.91). The association between cigarette dependence and outcome was only present among low-income smokers.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower income, higher cigarette dependence, and choice of bupropion versus varenicline are associated with lower chances of stopping smoking in Korean smoking cessation services, but the association with cigarette dependence is only found in low-income smokers.

An online randomised controlled trial of mental contrasting with implementation intentions as a smoking behaviour change intervention

Objective: We assessed the effectiveness of mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII), an established self-regulatory strategy, as a brief online smoking behaviour change intervention. We expected that MCII would enhance smoking reduction among the highly cigarette dependent because MCII is most effective for challenging pursuits. Design: Participants interested in reducing or quitting smoking were recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk. At Time 1, we assessed cigarette dependence using the Cigarette Dependence Scale (CDS-5), then administered one of two brief self-help interventions: MCII (n = 172) or a government-promoted control strategy (n = 174). Participants were invited to complete an online follow-up survey 4 weeks later (Time 2). Main Outcome Measure: At Time 1 and Time 2, we measured recent cigarette smoking with a retrospective, self-report questionnaire. We used these reports to compute smoking reduction scores, with an intent-to-treat approach. Results: MCII increased smoking reduction compared to the control strategy at high, but not low, levels of cigarette dependence. Conclusion: We found preliminary evidence consistent with MCII, delivered as a brief online intervention, as an effective smoking reduction strategy for highly dependent cigarette smokers. Further research is needed on MCII as a smoking behaviour change intervention.

Cannabidiol reverses attentional bias to cigarette cues in a human experimental model of tobacco withdrawal

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in cannabis, may be a promising novel smoking cessation treatment due to its anxiolytic properties, minimal side effects and research showing that it may modify drug cue salience. We used an experimental medicine approach with dependent cigarette smokers to investigate if (1) overnight nicotine abstinence, compared with satiety, will produce greater attentional bias (AB), higher pleasantness ratings of cigarette-related stimuli and increased craving and withdrawal; and (2) CBD in comparison to placebo, would attenuate AB, pleasantness of cigarette-related stimuli, craving and withdrawal and not produce any side effects.

DESIGN

Randomized, double-blind cross-over study with a fixed satiated session followed by two overnight abstinent sessions.

SETTING

UK laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty non-treatment-seeking, dependent cigarette smokers recruited from the community.

INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR

800 mg oral CBD, or matched placebo (PBO) in a counterbalanced order MEASUREMENTS: AB to pictorial tobacco cues was recorded using a visual probe task and an explicit rating task. Withdrawal, craving, side effects, heart rate and blood pressure were assessed repeatedly.

FINDINGS

When participants received PBO, tobacco abstinence increased AB (P = 0.001, d = 0.789) compared with satiety. However, CBD reversed this effect, such that automatic AB was directed away from cigarette cues (P = 0.007, d = 0.704) and no longer differed from satiety (P = 0.82). Compared with PBO, CBD also reduced explicit pleasantness of cigarette images (P = 0.011; d = 0.514). Craving (Bayes factor = 7.08) and withdrawal (Bayes factor = 6.95) were unaffected by CBD, but greater in abstinence compared with satiety. Systolic blood pressure decreased under CBD during abstinence.

CONCLUSIONS

A single 800-mg oral dose of cannabidiol reduced the salience and pleasantness of cigarette cues, compared with placebo, after overnight cigarette abstinence in dependent smokers. Cannabidiol did not influence tobacco craving or withdrawal or any subjectively rated side effects.