Change in anxiety following successful and unsuccessful attempts at smoking cessation: cohort study
Matthew Hankins and
Author Affiliations
Máirtín S. McDermott, PhD, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King’s College London; Theresa M. Marteau, PhD, Gareth J. Hollands, PhD, Psychology Department (at Guy’s), Health Psychology Section, King’s College London; Matthew Hankins, PhD, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton; Paul Aveyard, PhD, Primary Care Clinical Sciences, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK.
- Correspondence: Máirtín S. McDermott, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King’s College London, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8WA, UK. Email: mairtin.mcdermott@gmail.com
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Declaration of interestP.A. has done consultancy and research on smoking cessation for pharmaceutical companies.
Abstract
Background
Despite a lack of empirical evidence, many smokers and health professionals believe that tobacco smoking reduces anxiety, which may deter smoking cessation.
Aims
The study aim was to assess whether successful smoking cessation or relapse to smoking after a quit attempt are associated with changes in anxiety.
Method
A total of 491 smokers attending National Health Service smoking cessation clinics in England were followed up 6 months after enrolment in a trial of pharmacogenetic tailoring of nicotine replacement therapy (ISRCTN14352545).
Results
There was a points difference of 11.8 (95% CI 7.7–16.0) in anxiety score 6 months after cessation between people who relapsed to smoking and people who attained abstinence. This reflected a three-point increase in anxiety from baseline for participants who relapsed and a nine-point decrease for participants who abstained. The increase in anxiety in those who relapsed was largest for those with a current diagnosis of psychiatric disorder and whose main reason for smoking was to cope with stress. The decrease in anxiety on abstinence was larger for these groups also. To read on click here.
