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Published on: August 6, 2013
Do expectancies for reinforcement from smoking change after smoking initiation?
Neal Doran1, C Amanda Schweizer, Mark G Myers
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA. nmdoran@ucsd.edu
Summary
Smoking initiation increases positive reinforcement expectancies. Behavioral undercontrol (BU) moderates negative reinforcement expectancies (NRE) changes after starting to smoke, suggesting impulsive individuals may use smoking to cope with negative states.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Smoking expectancies predict smoking behavior but are not static.
- Individual differences in temperament, like behavioral undercontrol (BU), may influence smoking expectancies.
- Previous research linked pre-initiation expectancies to smoking, but the impact of initiation on expectancies was unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in positive (PRE) and negative (NRE) reinforcement expectancies after smoking initiation.
- To determine if behavioral undercontrol (BU) moderates these expectancy changes.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of college students interviewed 12-15 months apart.
- Analysis included 69 participants who initiated smoking between assessments.
- Linear mixed models were used to analyze changes in expectancies over time and their moderation by BU.
Main Results:
- Positive reinforcement expectancies (PRE) significantly increased post-initiation.
- Negative reinforcement expectancies (NRE) did not significantly change overall post-initiation.
- Behavioral undercontrol (BU) moderated the change in NRE, with higher BU linked to greater increases in NRE after initiation.
Conclusions:
- Smoking initiation leads to significant changes in positive reinforcement expectancies.
- Individuals with higher behavioral undercontrol (BU) experience greater increases in negative reinforcement expectancies (NRE) after starting to smoke.
- Impulsive individuals may be more susceptible to smoking as a coping mechanism for aversive states.
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