Changes in prevalence of depression and anxiety following smoking cessation: results from an international cohort study (ATTEMPT)

Development and validation using NHANES data of a predictive model for depression risk in myocardial infarction survivors

Background

Depression after myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with poor prognosis. This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram to predict the risk of depression in patients with MI.

Methods

This retrospective study included 1615 survivors of MI aged >20 years who were selected from the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. The 899 subjects from the 2005–2012 survey comprised the development group, and the remaining 716 subjects comprised the validation group. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified variables significantly associated with depression. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) binomial regression model was used to select the best predictive variables.

Results

A full predictive model and a simplified model were developed using multivariate analysis and LASSO binomial regression results, respectively, and validated using data from the validation group. The receiver operator characteristic curve and Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness of fit test were used to assess the nomogram's performance. The full nomogram model included 8 items: age, BMI, smoking, drinking, diabetes, exercise, insomnia, and PIR. The area under the curve for the development group was 0.799 and for the validation group was 0.731, indicating that our model has good stability and predictive accuracy. The goodness of fit test showed a good model calibration for both groups. The simplified model includes age, smoking, PIR, and insomnia. The AUC of the simplified model was 0.772 and 0.711 in the development and validation groups, respectively, indicating that the simplified model still possessed good predictive accuracy.

Conclusion

Our nomogram helped assess the individual probability of depression after MI and can be used as a complement to existing depression screening scales to help physicians make better treatment decisions.

Longitudinal Association Between Smoking Abstinence and Depression Severity in Those With Baseline Current, Past, and No History of Major Depressive Episode in an International Online Tobacco Cessation Study

INTRODUCTION

We use multilevel modeling to parse out the effects of time-varying smoking abstinence and baseline depression (history and severity) on depression severity over 1 year.

AIMS AND METHODS

Participants were 1000 smokers recruited worldwide for an online randomized controlled tobacco cessation trial. We examined whether changes in depression severity over time were associated with self-reported 7-day point prevalence smoking status assessed at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up (FU) using baseline major depressive episode (MDE) history and baseline depression severity as time-invariant covariates. We present depression severity means and smoking abstinence at each FU.

RESULTS

Regardless of concurrent abstinence status, baseline MDE history was significantly related to depression severity over time: those reporting a past MDE had worse depressive symptoms over time compared with those reporting no MDE history. Baseline depression severity interacted significantly with time-varying abstinence status: for every 1-unit increase in baseline scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), individuals who were smoking at FU reported CES-D scores that were 0.17 points higher than those who were abstinent. In this context, nicotine dependence, gender, age, or marital status did not affect depression severity.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of cessation, having an MDE history plays a significant role in the trajectory of depression severity over the course of 1 year, regardless of abstinence status. Abstinence is related to lower depressive symptoms at each FU, and this effect was stronger at higher levels of baseline depression severity.

IMPLICATIONS

This study indicates that depressive symptoms are not exacerbated among individuals who are quitting smoking at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month FUs. Depression severity is worse with a baseline history of MDE. Further, those with high baseline depression severity who continue smoking have worse depressive symptoms throughout a 1-year period compared with their abstinent counterparts.

Smoking cessation for improving mental health

BACKGROUND

There is a common perception that smoking generally helps people to manage stress, and may be a form of 'self-medication' in people with mental health conditions. However, there are biologically plausible reasons why smoking may worsen mental health through neuroadaptations arising from chronic smoking, leading to frequent nicotine withdrawal symptoms (e.g. anxiety, depression, irritability), in which case smoking cessation may help to improve rather than worsen mental health.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between tobacco smoking cessation and change in mental health.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group's Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the trial registries clinicaltrials.gov and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, from 14 April 2012 to 07 January 2020. These were updated searches of a previously-conducted non-Cochrane review where searches were conducted from database inception to 13 April 2012.  SELECTION CRITERIA: We included controlled before-after studies, including randomised controlled trials (RCTs) analysed by smoking status at follow-up, and longitudinal cohort studies. In order to be eligible for inclusion studies had to recruit adults who smoked tobacco, and assess whether they quit or continued smoking during the study. They also had to measure a mental health outcome at baseline and at least six weeks later.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We followed standard Cochrane methods for screening and data extraction. Our primary outcomes were change in depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms or mixed anxiety and depression symptoms between baseline and follow-up. Secondary outcomes  included change in symptoms of stress, psychological quality of life, positive affect, and social impact or social quality of life, as well as new incidence of depression, anxiety, or mixed anxiety and depression disorders. We assessed the risk of bias for the primary outcomes using a modified ROBINS-I tool.  For change in mental health outcomes, we calculated the pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for the difference in change in mental health from baseline to follow-up between those who had quit smoking and those who had continued to smoke. For the incidence of psychological disorders, we calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. For all meta-analyses we used a generic inverse variance random-effects model and quantified statistical heterogeneity using I2. We conducted subgroup analyses to investigate any differences in associations between sub-populations, i.e. unselected people with mental illness, people with physical chronic diseases. We assessed the certainty of evidence for our primary outcomes (depression, anxiety, and mixed depression and anxiety) and our secondary social impact outcome using the eight GRADE considerations relevant to non-randomised studies (risk of bias, inconsistency, imprecision, indirectness, publication bias, magnitude of the effect, the influence of all plausible residual confounding, the presence of a dose-response gradient).

MAIN RESULTS

We included 102 studies representing over 169,500 participants. Sixty-two of these were identified in the updated search for this review and 40 were included in the original version of the review.  Sixty-three studies provided data on change in mental health, 10 were included in meta-analyses of incidence of mental health disorders, and 31 were synthesised narratively.  For all primary outcomes, smoking cessation was associated with an improvement in mental health symptoms compared with continuing to smoke: anxiety symptoms (SMD -0.28, 95% CI -0.43 to -0.13; 15 studies, 3141 participants; I2 = 69%; low-certainty evidence); depression symptoms: (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.39 to -0.21; 34 studies, 7156 participants; I2 = 69%' very low-certainty evidence);  mixed anxiety and depression symptoms (SMD -0.31, 95% CI -0.40 to -0.22; 8 studies, 2829 participants; I2 = 0%; moderate certainty evidence).  These findings were robust to preplanned sensitivity analyses, and subgroup analysis generally did not produce evidence of differences in the effect size among subpopulations or based on methodological characteristics. All studies were deemed to be at serious risk of bias due to possible time-varying confounding, and three studies measuring depression symptoms were judged to be at critical risk of bias overall. There was also some evidence of funnel plot asymmetry. For these reasons, we rated our certainty in the estimates for anxiety as low, for depression as very low, and for mixed anxiety and depression as moderate. For the secondary outcomes, smoking cessation was associated with an improvement in symptoms of stress (SMD -0.19, 95% CI -0.34 to -0.04; 4 studies, 1792 participants; I2 = 50%), positive affect (SMD 0.22, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.33; 13 studies, 4880 participants; I2 = 75%), and psychological quality of life (SMD 0.11, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.16; 19 studies, 18,034 participants; I2 = 42%). There was also evidence that smoking cessation was not associated with a reduction in social quality of life, with the confidence interval incorporating the possibility of a small improvement (SMD 0.03, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.06; 9 studies, 14,673 participants; I2 = 0%). The incidence of new mixed anxiety and depression was lower in people who stopped smoking compared with those who continued (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.86; 3 studies, 8685 participants; I2 = 57%), as was the incidence of anxiety disorder (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.12; 2 studies, 2293 participants; I2 = 46%). We deemed it inappropriate to present a pooled estimate for the incidence of new cases of clinical depression, as there was high statistical heterogeneity (I2 = 87%).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, these data provide evidence that mental health does not worsen as a result of quitting smoking, and very low- to moderate-certainty evidence that smoking cessation is associated with small to moderate improvements in mental health.  These improvements are seen in both unselected samples and in subpopulations, including people diagnosed with mental health conditions. Additional studies that use more advanced methods to overcome time-varying confounding would strengthen the evidence in this area.

Association between educational level and smoking cessation in an 11-year follow-up study of a national health survey

Aims: There is a lack of longitudinal, population-based studies on the association between education and smoking cessation. A more thorough examination of this association is needed to address inequalities in smoking. Methods: The longitudinal Health 2000 Survey and Health 2011 Survey, representing the Finnish population aged ⩾30 years, were analysed. Of the 1352 baseline daily smokers, 945 (70%) provided a smoking status at the follow-up. The analytic sample size was 884 (excluding the follow-up occasional smokers). Self-reported questionnaire data and measurements (e.g. plasma cotinine) from the baseline were utilised. The outcome variable was smoking cessation at the follow-up, and the main explanatory variable was education. Logistic regression was the main method for statistical analyses. All of the analyses accounted for the sampling design. Results: At the follow-up, 28% of the baseline daily smokers had quit smoking. An adjusted regression model showed that highly educated respondents had a higher likelihood of quitting smoking compared with those with basic education. Controlling for demographic and health-related variables had a modest effect on this association. Higher scores for plasma cotinine, symptoms of depression and heavy alcohol use were associated with a lower likelihood of quitting smoking. The association between education and smoking cessation was weaker for women than it was for men. Conclusions: High education is associated with smoking cessation among the general adult population, especially among men. A higher plasma cotinine level is strongly associated with continued smoking among both sexes. Background variables only modestly affected the association between education and smoking cessation.

The reinforcement threshold and elasticity of demand for nicotine in an adolescent rat model of depression

BACKGROUND

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering setting a nicotine standard for tobacco products to reduce their addictiveness. Such a standard should account for the apparent greater vulnerability to nicotine addiction in some subpopulations, such as adolescents with depression. The present study examined whether the reinforcement threshold and elasticity of demand (i.e., reinforcing efficacy) for nicotine in a genetic inbred rat model of depression (Flinders Sensitive Line [FSL]) differs from an outbred control strain.

METHODS

Acquisition of nicotine self-administration (NSA) across a wide range of nicotine doses was measured in both FSL and Sprague-Dawley (SD) control adolescent rats. At the highest dose, elasticity of demand was also measured. Nicotine pharmacokinetics was examined to determine whether it might modulate NSA, as it does smoking in humans.

RESULTS

FSL rats acquired self-administration quicker and showed more inelastic demand (greater reinforcing efficacy) than SDs at the highest unit dose. However, there was no strain difference in the reinforcement threshold of nicotine. FSL rats exhibited faster nicotine clearance, larger volume of distribution, and lower plasma and brain nicotine concentrations. However, these differences were not consistently related to strain differences in NSA measures.

CONCLUSION

These findings are consistent with studies showing greater dependence and reinforcing efficacy of cigarettes in smokers with depression and those with relatively fast nicotine metabolism. However, these findings also suggest that a nicotine standard to reduce initiation of tobacco use should be similarly effective in both the general adolescent population and those with depression.

Depressive symptoms among patients with COPD according to smoking status: a Danish nationwide case-control study of 21 184 patients

Introduction

Depressive symptoms appear more often among patients with COPD and are associated with reduced disease control and increased mortality. Both smoking and COPD increase the risk of depressive symptoms. Whether smoking cessation among COPD patients affects the occurrence of depressive symptoms is unknown. We hypothesised that smoking cessation in patients with COPD leads to reduced use of antidepressants and fewer admissions to psychiatric hospitals with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide retrospective case-control study, in patients from The Danish Register for COPD with spirometry-verified COPD, age ≥40 years, a history of smoking and absence of cancer. Consistent smokers were matched 1:1 with ex-smokers using a propensity score model. Prescription fillings of antidepressants and risk of admissions to psychiatric hospitals with either depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder both descriptively was assessed by Cox proportional hazard models.

Results

We included 21 184 patients. A total of 2011 consistent smokers collected antidepressant prescriptions compared with 1821 ex-smokers. Consistent smoking was associated with increased risk of filling prescription on antidepressants (HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3-1.5, p<0.0001) and with increased risk of psychiatric hospital admission with either depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder (HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.6-2.5). The associations persisted after adjustment for former use of antidepressants.

Conclusion

Consistent smoking among COPD patients was associated with increased use of antidepressants and admissions to psychiatric hospitals with either depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, compared to smoking cessation.

Effects of smoking behaviour changes on depression in older people: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify the effects of changes in smoking behaviour on the presence of depression in participants aged 65 years and over.

METHODS

Data from the 1st to 6th Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging were used in this study. The participants comprised 374 older adults aged 65 years and over, who had smoked in the past. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the effects of smoking behaviour change on the presence of depression.

RESULTS

Changes in smoking behaviour were categorised into three groups: (1) dramatically reduced (66.8%), (2) slightly reduced (19.8%), and (3) increased (13.4%). Those participants who showed significantly reduced smoking were more likely to have depression than those who increased smoking.

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to develop practical protocols and educational programs aimed at preventing and managing depression in older adults aged 65 years and above.

Correlates of varenicline adherence among smokers with HIV and its association with smoking cessation

INTRODUCTION

With medical advances, the life expectancy of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) has improved; however, tobacco use remains a prominent risk for mortality. Although studies have examined the efficacy of varenicline for treating smoking among PLWHA, the relationship between varenicline adherence and cessation and correlates of varenicline adherence remain under-studied.

METHODS

We conducted secondary analyses from a randomized placebo-controlled trial of varenicline for smoking among PLWHA, using data from participants who received varenicline (N = 89). The relationship between varenicline adherence (based on pill count) and end-of-treatment smoking cessation was assessed, as were correlates of varenicline adherence.

RESULTS

Those who were abstinent took an average of 137.1 pills (SD = 39.3), or 83% of pills prescribed, vs. 105.3 pills (SD = 64.1), or 64%, for those who were smoking (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.001-1.021, p = 0.03); 52/89 (58%) participants were adherent based on taking ≥80% of pills. The quit rate for adherent participants was 35% (18/52) vs. 19% (7/37) for non-adherent participants. Adherent participants were older, smoked fewer cigarettes each day, started smoking at an older age, and had lower baseline creatinine vs. non-adherent participants (p < 0.05). There was a significant time-by-group interaction effect for anxiety (F[1,72] = 6.24, p = 0.02), depression (F[1,72] = 4.2, p = 0.04), and insomnia (F[1,72] = 7.73, p = 0.007), indicating that adherent participants had less depression, anxiety, and insomnia during the initial weeks of treatment, vs. non-adherent participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings underscore the importance of varenicline adherence for determining cessation and highlight the role of early changes in anxiety, depression, and insomnia determining varenicline adherence.

Improved clinical outcomes among persons with HIV who quit smoking

Quitting smoking among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is a priority. However, PLWHA and clinicians working with PLWHA are reluctant to use tobacco use treatments out of concern that smoking cessation can diminish anti-retroviral therapy (ART) adherence and quality of life (QoL) and increase psychiatric symptoms. This secondary analysis from a placebo-controlled varenicline trial for tobacco dependence among PLWHA (N = 179) examined if smoking cessation at the end of treatment (EOT) was associated with changes in ART adherence, QoL, anxiety and depression symptoms, and varenicline side effects. ART adherence was not affected by smoking cessation (p > 0.05), remaining ≥98% for all participants. Across 8 QoL subscales, 7 remained unchanged over time across smokers and abstainers; side effects were not associated with cessation. Controlling for baseline smoking rate, adherence to varenicline/placebo and counseling, and treatment arm, participants who had quit smoking at EOT reported a significant reduction in depression (β = -1.657, 95% CI: -2.893, -0.422, p = .009) and anxiety (β = -1.434, 95% CI: -2.812, -0.56, p = .041) and increased life satisfaction (β = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.21, 3.275, p = .027). When PLWHA quit smoking they may not experience adverse clinical outcomes including ART non-adherence and may experience beneficial psychological effects, supporting the use of FDA-approved smoking cessation treatments among PLWHA.

Relapse to smoking and health-related quality of life: Secondary analysis of data from a study of smoking relapse prevention

Background

Previous studies have shown that smoking and smoking cessation may be associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In this study, we compared changes in HRQoL in people who maintained abstinence with people who had relapsed to smoking.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of data from a trial of a relapse prevention intervention in 1,407 short-term quitters. The European Quality of Life -5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) measured HRQoL at baseline, 3 and 12 months. Smoking outcome was continuous abstinence from 2 to 12 months, and 7-day smoking at 3 and 12 months. We used nonparametric test for differences in EQ-5D utility scores, and chi-square test for dichotomised response to each of the five EQ-5D dimensions. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to evaluate associations between smoking relapse and HRQoL or anxiety/depression problems.

Results

The mean EQ-5D tariff score was 0.8252 at baseline. People who maintained abstinence experienced a statistically non-significant increase in the EQ-5D score (mean change 0.0015, P = 0.88), while returning to smoking was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the EQ-5D score (mean change -0.0270, P = 0.004). After adjusting for multiple baseline characteristics, the utility change during baseline and 12 months was statistically significantly associated with continuous abstinence, with a difference of 0.0288 (95% CI: 0.0006 to 0.0571, P = 0.045) between relapsers and continuous quitters. The only difference in quality of life dimensions between those who relapsed and those who maintained abstinence was in the proportion of participants with anxiety/depression problems at 12 months (30% vs. 22%, P = 0.001). Smoking relapse was associated with a simultaneous increase in anxiety/depression problems.

Conclusions

People who achieve short-term smoking abstinence but subsequently relapse to smoking have a reduced quality of life, which appears mostly due to worsening of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Further research is required to more fully understand the relationship between smoking and health-related quality of life, and to develop cessation interventions by taking into account the impact of anxiety or depression on smoking.

Cognitive-behavioral treatment with behavioral activation for smokers with depressive symptomatology: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Smoking is an important risk factor for mental health-related problems. Numerous studies have supported a bi-directional association between cigarette smoking and depression. Despite the advances in understanding the comorbidity between both problems, the most effective psychological treatment that simultaneously targets smoking and depressive symptomatology remains unclear. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for smoking cessation with components of behavioral activation for managing depressed mood.

METHOD

A single blind, three-arm, superiority randomized controlled trial is proposed. Participants will be smokers over 18 years old, who smoke at least 8 cigarettes per day. Participants will be randomized to one of three conditions, using a 2:2:1 allocation ratio: 1) standard cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation treatment; 2) standard cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation treatment plus behavioral activation; or 3) a three-month delayed treatment control group. The primary outcome measures will be biochemically verified point-prevalence abstinence (carbon monoxide in expired air) and significant change from baseline in depressive symptoms to the end of treatment, and at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up.

DISCUSSION

This study aims to assess the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention with behavioral activation components for smoking cessation and depressive symptoms, compared to a standard cognitive-behavioral intervention to quit smoking. As the relation between depressive symptoms, even at subclinical levels, and quitting smoking difficulties is well known, we expect that such intervention will allow obtaining higher abstinence rates, lower relapse rates, and mood improvement.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT02844595 . Retrospectively registered 19th July, 2016. The study started in January 2016, and the recruitment is ongoing.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Happiness and Smoking Cessation among Parents

INTRODUCTION

Smoking cessation among adults is associated with increased happiness. This association has not been measured in parents, a subset of adults who face uniquely stressful and challenging circumstances that can affect happiness.

AIMS

To determine if parental smoking cessation is associated with increased happiness and to identify characteristics of parental quitters who experience increased happiness.

METHODS

1355 parents completed a 12-month follow-up interview from a U.S. national trial, Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure (CEASE). Multivariable logistic regression examined if level of happiness was independently associated with quitting smoking and identified characteristics associated with feeling happier after quitting smoking.

RESULTS/FINDINGS

Parents' level of happiness was independently associated with quitting smoking (aOR=1.60, 95% CI=1.42-1.79). Factors associated with increased happiness among quitters include engaging in evidence-based cessation assistance (aOR=2.69, 95% CI=1.16-6.26), and adopting strictly enforced smoke-free home (aOR=2.55, 95% CI=1.19-5.48) and car (aOR=3.85, 95% CI=1.94-7.63) policies. Additionally, parents who believed that being a smoker got in the way of being a parent (aOR=5.37, 95% CI=2.61-11.07) and who believed that thirdhand smoke is harmful to children (aOR=3.28, 95% CI=1.16-9.28) were more likely to report feeling happier after quitting.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents who quit smoking reported being happier than parents who did not quit. Though prospective studies can clarify what factors cause an increase in happiness, letting pediatricians know that most parents who smoke report being happier when quitting may facilitate communication with parents around cessation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT00664261.

The impact of quitting smoking on depressive symptoms: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four-Country Survey

AIMS

To determine whether abstinence or relapse on a quit attempt in the previous year is associated with current depressive symptoms.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort with approximately annual waves. Mixed-effect logistic regressions tested whether time 2 (T2) quitting status was associated with reporting symptoms at T2, and whether time 1 (T1) symptoms moderated this relationship.

SETTING

Waves 5-8 of the Four-Country International Tobacco Control Study: a quasi-experimental cohort study of smokers from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 6978 smokers who participated in telephone surveys.

MEASUREMENTS

T1 and T2 depressive symptoms in the last 4 weeks were assessed with two screening items from the PRIME-MD questionnaire. Quitting status at T2: (1) no attempt since T1; (2) attempted and relapsed; and (3) attempted and abstinent at T2.

FINDINGS

Compared with no attempt, relapse was associated with reporting T2 symptoms [odds ratio (OR) = 1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.33, 1.59]). Associations between T2 quitting status and T2 symptoms were moderated by T1 symptoms. Relapse was associated positively with T2 symptoms for those without T1 symptoms (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.45, 2.03) and those with T1 symptoms (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.23, 1.70). Abstinence was associated positively for those without T1 symptoms (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.10, 1.71) and negatively for those with T1 symptoms (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.59, 0.94). Age moderated these associations significantly. Relapse did not predict T2 symptoms for those aged 18-39 irrespective of T1 symptoms. The negative effect of abstinence on T2 symptoms for those with T1 symptoms was significant only for those aged 18-39 (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.40, 0.94) and 40-55 (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.40, 0.84). The positive effect of abstinence on T2 symptoms for those without T1 symptoms was significant only for those aged more than 55 (OR =1.97, 95% CI = 1.35, 2.87).

CONCLUSIONS

Most people who stop smoking appear to be at no greater risk of developing symptoms of depression than if they had continued smoking. However, people aged more than 55 who stop smoking may be at greater risk of developing symptoms of depression than if they had continued smoking.

Update on Smoking Cessation: E-Cigarettes, Emerging Tobacco Products Trends, and New Technology-Based Interventions

Tobacco use disorders (TUDs) continue to be overly represented in patients treated in mental health and addiction treatment settings. It is the most common substance use disorder (SUD) and the leading cause of health disparities and increased morbidity/mortality amongst individuals with a psychiatric disorder. There are seven Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications and excellent evidence-based psychosocial treatment interventions to use in TUD treatment. In the past few years, access to and use of other tobacco or nicotine emerging products are on the rise, including the highly publicized electronic cigarette (e-cigarette). There has also been a proliferation of technology-based interventions to support standard TUD treatment, including mobile apps and web-based interventions. These tools are easily accessed 24/7 to support outpatient treatment. This update will review the emerging products and counter-measure intervention technologies, including how clinicians can integrate these tools and other community-based resources into their practice.

Does successful smoking cessation reduce anxious arousal among treatment-seeking smokers?

INTRODUCTION

There is limited work that has examined the effect of quitting smoking on anxious arousal, an underlying dimension of anxiety symptoms and psychopathology.

METHOD

Smokers (n=185, 54.1% female) enrolled in a smoking cessation treatment trial were monitored post-cessation in terms of abstinence status (biochemically verified; at Weeks 1, 2, and Month 1 post-quit) and severity of panic-relevant symptoms (self-reported; at Month 1 and 3 post-quit). Structural equation models were conducted, adjusting for participant sex, age, treatment condition, and pre-cessation nicotine dependence, presence of depressive/anxiety disorders, anxious arousal, and anxiety sensitivity.

RESULTS

After adjusting for covariates, participants who remained abstinent for one month (n=80; 43.2%) relative to those who did not (n=105; 56.8%) demonstrated significant reductions in anxious arousal at Month 1 (β=-.26, p=.04) and Month 3 post-quit (β=-.36, p=.006); abstinence status had a non-significant effect on anxious arousal severity at Month 3 after controlling for Month 1 anxious arousal (β=-.18, p=.09).

DISCUSSION

Findings align with theoretical models of smoking-anxiety interplay and suggest that smoking cessation can result in reductions in anxious arousal.

Reciprocal associations between smoking cessation and depression in older smokers: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

BACKGROUND

Depression is a particular problem in older people and it is important to know how it affects and is affected by smoking cessation.

AIMS

To identify reciprocal, longitudinal relationships between smoking cessation and depression among older smokers.

METHOD

Across four waves, covering six years (2002-2008), changes in smoking status and depression, measured using the 8-item Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, were assessed among recent ex-smokers and smokers (n = 2375) in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

RESULTS

In latent growth curve analysis, smoking at baseline predicted depression caseness longitudinally and vice versa. When both processes were modelled concurrently, depression predicted continued smoking longitudinally (B(β) = 0.21 (0.27); 95% CI = 0.08-0.35) but not the other way round. This was the case irrespective of mental health history and adjusting for a range of covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

In older smokers, depression appears to act as an important barrier to quitting, although quitting has no long-term impact on depression.

Negative mood reverses devaluation of goal-directed drug-seeking favouring an incentive learning account of drug dependence

BACKGROUND

Two theories explain how negative mood primes smoking behaviour. The stimulus-response (S-R) account argues that in the negative mood state, smoking is experienced as more reinforcing, establishing a direct (automatic) association between the negative mood state and smoking behaviour. By contrast, the incentive learning account argues that in the negative mood state smoking is expected to be more reinforcing, which integrates with instrumental knowledge of the response required to produce that outcome.

OBJECTIVES

One differential prediction is that whereas the incentive learning account anticipates that negative mood induction could augment a novel tobacco-seeking response in an extinction test, the S-R account could not explain this effect because the extinction test prevents S-R learning by omitting experience of the reinforcer.

METHODS

To test this, overnight-deprived daily smokers (n = 44) acquired two instrumental responses for tobacco and chocolate points, respectively, before smoking to satiety. Half then received negative mood induction to raise the expected value of tobacco, opposing satiety, whilst the remainder received positive mood induction. Finally, a choice between tobacco and chocolate was measured in extinction to test whether negative mood could augment tobacco choice, opposing satiety, in the absence of direct experience of tobacco reinforcement.

RESULTS

Negative mood induction not only abolished the devaluation of tobacco choice, but participants with a significant increase in negative mood increased their tobacco choice in extinction, despite satiety.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that negative mood augments drug-seeking by raising the expected value of the drug through incentive learning, rather than through automatic S-R control.

Anxiety and Depressed Mood Decline Following Smoking Abstinence in Adult Smokers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

INTRODUCTION

A preponderance of relevant research has indicated reduction in anxiety and depressive symptoms following smoking abstinence. This secondary analysis investigated whether the phenomenon extends to smokers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

METHODS

The study setting was an 11-Week double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial of osmotic release oral system methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) as a cessation aid when added to nicotine patch and counseling. Participants were 255 adult smokers with ADHD. The study outcomes are: anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)) and depressed mood (Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI)) measured one Week and six Weeks after a target quit day (TQD). The main predictor is point-prevalence abstinence measured at Weeks 1 and 6 after TQD. Covariates are treatment (OROS-MPH vs placebo), past major depression, past anxiety disorder, number of cigarettes smoked daily, demographics (age, gender, education, marital status) and baseline scores on the BAI, BDI, and the DSM-IV ADHD Rating Scale.

RESULTS

Abstinence was significantly associated with lower anxiety ratings throughout the post-quit period (p<0.001). Depressed mood was lower for abstainers than non-abstainers at Week 1 (p<0.05), but no longer at Week 6 (p=0.83). Treatment with OROS-MPH relative to placebo showed significant reductions at Week 6 after TQD for both anxiety (p<0.05) and depressed mood (p<0.001), but not at Week 1. Differential abstinence effects of gender were observed. Anxiety and depression ratings at baseline predicted increased ratings of corresponding measures during the post-quit period.

CONCLUSION

Stopping smoking yielded reductions in anxiety and depressed mood in smokers with ADHD treated with nicotine patch and counseling. Treatment with OROS-MPH yielded mood reductions in delayed manner.

Post-operative smoking status in lung and head and neck cancer patients: association with depressive symptomatology, pain, and fatigue

OBJECTIVE

An estimated 35-50% of lung and head and neck cancer patients are smoking at diagnosis; most try to quit; however, a substantial proportion resumes smoking. As cancer treatments improve, attention to the effects of continued smoking on quality of life in the survivorship period is increasing. The current study examines if smoking abstinence following surgical treatment is associated with better quality of life.

METHODS

Participants were 134 patients with head and neck or lung cancer who received surgical treatment. Smoking status and indices of quality of life (depressive symptoms, fatigue, and pain) were assessed at the time of surgery (baseline) and at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months post-surgery. Analyses were performed using a generalized estimating equations approach. A series of models examined the correlation between smoking status and post-surgery quality of life while adjusting for demographics, clinical variables, and baseline smoking status and quality of life.

RESULTS

Continuous post-surgery abstinence was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and fatigue; however, the relationship with fatigue became nonsignificant after adjusting for baseline fatigue and income. There was no significant relationship observed between smoking status and pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings add to a growing literature showing that smoking cessation is not associated with detrimental effects on quality of life and may have beneficial effects, particularly with regard to depressive symptoms. Such information can be used to motivate smoking cessation and continued abstinence among cancer patients and increase provider comfort in recommending cessation.