Attributional correlates of cessation self-efficacy among smokers

Male and female smokers (N = 121) stated the most important cause of previous abstinence failure and rated this attribution along the dimensions of internality, stability, globality, and controllability. Respondents also estimated their ability to abstain from smoking in a variety of hypothetical situations (i.e., cessation self-efficacy). Results indicated that high self-efficacy smokers attributed prior abstinence failure to motivational and situational factors more frequently than low self-efficacy smokers. Significant correlates of cessation self-efficacy included perceived success of prior quits (r = .26), percent of family/friends who smoke (r = -.21), causal stability (r = -.18) and causal control (r = .21). Composite attributional indices of behavioral self-blame and the abstinence violation effect also correlated significantly with cessation self-efficacy (rs = .21 and .22, respectively). Consistent with self-efficacy theory, these findings suggest that personal experience, vicarious experience, and attributional processes play a role in one's perceived ability to refrain from smoking.