Emotion Regulation and Smoking: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
Abstract
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in US. A greaterunderstanding of the psychological processes underlying smoking and relapse is required to develop more effective interventions. Recent research has examined emotion regulation (ER) in addictive behaviors, including tobacco addiction. Previous research has generally conceptualized emotion regulation as a relatively stable construct. However, both theory and data suggest that emotion regulation may also have state-like qualities. The current study builds on the relationship between emotion regulation and smoking by going beyond an examination of overall emotion regulation tendencies and examining fluctuations in emotion regulation abilities. Participants (N=29), who were attempting to quit smoking, were given a mobile device for six weeks which prompted them to complete up to four random assessments a day. Participants could also complete participant-initiated assessment if they missed a random assessment. Participants completed assessments of emotion regulation, negative affect, craving, and smoking in the lab and in the field. The primary aims examined the between- and within-subject relationships between emotion regulation, negative affect, craving, and smoking, using nomothetic and idiographic analyses. The main findings of the study were as follows. First, an association between emotion regulation and negative affect was observed both in the lab and in the field. As emotion dysregulation increased, negative affect increased. Second, there was no evidence for an association between emotion regulation and craving. Similarly, there was little evidence for an association between emotion regulation and smoking during the following week or before the next field assessment. Third, emotion regulation, specifically nonacceptance, may moderate the association between negative affect and craving. Individuals who have generally higher levels of nonacceptance of current emotions
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 12, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1128470
Entities
People
- Jessica M. Macintyre
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences