Smoking cessation in patients with cardiopulmonary disease: an initial study

Thirty-five smokers, all with current, long-standing, cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, were randomly assigned to either health motivation treatment, or to aversive smoking. The former included self-management skills, a film model, verbal commitment, and discussion of the costs and benefits of smoking and abstinence. The latter included normally paced (every 30 sec.) aversive smoking, relaxation training, role playing high risk situations, and discussion of maladaptive thought patterns. Strong differences between the conditions in abstinence rate and reduction from baseline did not emerge; however, the data generally favored the health motivation condition both in attrition rates and in outcome immediately posttreatment and at six month follow-up. Negative mood states were found to be related to minimal reduction in smoking; and consistent mood dysphoria at pre and posttreatment predicted relapse at three month follow-up.