Self-concept changes over time in cognitive-behavioral treatment for smoking cessation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Self-concept, including smoker and abstainer identities, influences smoking cessation success.
• Understanding changes in self-concept during cessation programs is crucial for treatment development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how smoker and abstainer self-concept constructs evolve during a clinic-based smoking cessation program.
• To determine if these self-concept changes differ between individuals who successfully quit smoking (abstainers) and those who continue smoking (smokers).

Main Methods:

• Participants completed the Smoker Self-concept and Abstainer Self-concept scales at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3 months' posttreatment.
• Smoking status was biochemically verified at two time points to confirm cessation success.
• Longitudinal analysis examined changes in self-concept scores in relation to smoking status.

Main Results:

• Abstainers exhibited a more significant decrease in smoker self-concept over time compared to smokers.
• Abstainers demonstrated sustained increases in abstainer self-concept throughout the study period.
• Smokers' abstainer self-concept initially increased but then declined back to pretreatment levels.

Conclusions:

• Smoking cessation interventions impact individuals' self-perceptions, particularly their smoker and abstainer identities.
• Differential changes in self-concept between abstainers and smokers suggest these constructs play a dynamic role in maintaining cessation.
• These findings have implications for tailoring smoking cessation programs to address self-concept modification.