Effectiveness of Contingency Management in Tobacco Smokers with Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Background: Effective interventions are required to address tobacco smoking in people with depressive symptomatology. In this context, contingency management could be one useful therapeutic strategy. Objectives: This study is a systematic review of tobacco cessation interventions for smokers with depressive symptomatology including a contingency management component, evaluating their efficacy with regards to tobacco abstinence, depressive symptomatology, adherence to treatment and other variables related to tobacco use. For this purpose, a search was carried out in Pubmed, PsycINFO, Cochrane, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.gov in September 2022. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Results: Of the 208 articles identified, six were included in this review. Results: For the most part, the research included suggests that contingency management is an effective strategy for improving abstinence outcomes, adherence, and other smoking-related variables such as delay discounting and intensity of cigarette demand in smokers with depressive symptomatology. Conclusions: Although contingency management could be a promising intervention in tobacco smokers with depressive symptomatology, further research in this area is still required.