Date of Award
May 2019
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
Advisor(s)
Joseph W. Ditre
Keywords
Cigarette Smoking, Pain, Pain Characteristics, Smoking Cessation
Subject Categories
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Although cigarette smokers with co-occurring pain report experiencing more severe nicotine withdrawal and greater difficulty quitting, limited work has examined the role of pain in smoking cessation-related outcomes. The goal of this study was to examine clinically-relevant pain characteristics (i.e., pain persistence, pain intensity, and pain-related disability) as predictors of withdrawal and smoking lapse/relapse outcomes using an established laboratory model of cessation. Participants (N = 120 daily cigarette smokers; 48% male; MAge = 36.17, SD = 12.16; MCPD = 20.51, SD = 6.99) were randomized to either continued smoking or 12-hour nicotine deprivation conditions prior to an experimental study visit. Upon arrival to the laboratory, participants completed measures of pain characteristics and nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Primary outcomes included nicotine withdrawal scores and analogs of smoking lapse (i.e., latency to initiating smoking) and relapse (i.e., number of cigarettes smoked). Results indicated that persistent pain and nicotine deprivation each predicted more severe nicotine withdrawal. Cox regression analyses further revealed that moderate-to-severe pain-related disability and nicotine deprivation each predicted quicker latency to lapse during the laboratory cessation paradigm. Contrary to expectation, there were no statistically-significant interactions between nicotine deprivation and pain characteristics. Clinical implications include the possibility that smokers with pain would likely benefit from tailored and integrated cessation treatment.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Powers, Jessica, "Pain Characteristics and Nicotine Deprivation as Predictors of Performance during a Laboratory Model of Smoking Cessation" (2019). Theses - ALL. 331.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/331
