Trauma-Focused Smoking Cessation for Smokers Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bromet EJ ; Friedberg F ; Gonzalez A ; Kotov R ; Li X ; Luft BJ ; Mahaffey BL ; Vujanovic AA ; Zvolensky MJ
• Description:
  Introduction: The main objective was to evaluate the efficacy of an 8-session, group-based comprehensive smoking cessation and trauma management (CSC-T) treatment among daily smokers (>/=5 cigarettes/day) exposed to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster with elevated WTC-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods: Participants (N = 90) were randomly assigned to CSC-T (N = 44; 63.6% white; 27.3% female; mean age = 51.32 +/- 7.87) or comprehensive smoking cessation (CSC) alone (N = 46; 71.7% white; 28.3% female; mean age = 48.74 +/- 10.66), which was comparable in length and time. Assessments included a diagnostic clinical interview and self-report measures of PTSD and respiratory symptoms, and smoking behavior, and biologically confirmed smoking abstinence. Evaluations occurred at a baseline visit, each treatment session, and at 1-, 2-, 4-, 12-, and 26-weeks post-treatment. Results: The two treatments did not differ in regard to PTSD symptom improvement. After quit day (week 6), the two groups had similar 7-day (approximately 15%) and 6-month (approximately 20%) abstinence rates as well as average number of cigarettes smoked, and PTSD and respiratory symptoms. Conclusions: It is possible that the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills specific to quitting smoking, group-based support, and degree of therapist contact, that were available in both treatments may have played a role in equalizing the abstinence rates between the two conditions. Although the current study found no evidence that the CSC-T was superior to the CSC alone treatment, the abstinence rates observed were high relative to previous trials of smokers with diagnosed PTSD. Further development of smoking cessation programs tailored to the needs of smokers with PTSD symptoms continues to be needed. Implications: This study suggests that a CSC program aids in smoking abstinence for smokers with PTSD symptoms and that incorporating trauma management skills, may not add additional benefits for abstinence and PTSD and respiratory symptom relief. Further work is needed to improve smoking cessation efforts for smokers with PTSD symptoms. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Occupational Health Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks Smokers Tobacco Products
• Keywords:
  Cigarette Smoking Disaster Sites Post-traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD World Trade Center WTC
• ISSN:
  1462-2203
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051019
• Citation:
  Nicotine Tob Res 2017 Aug; 19(8):968-975
• Contact Point Address:
  Adam Gonzalez PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
• Email:
  adam.gonzalez@stonybrook.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York at Stony Brook
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Nicotine & Tobacco Research
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:490428d1cac65aca9eeb2f252c270e78f20425d4f2dd7d0e7aaa6ca9dc951b368760abdd85911185ae511ef304f8fd1d77409af93b81933f9d20b7c4cc5a2b38
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211160/cdc_211160_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 177.42 KB ]