Process of smoking cessation in adolescents attending Quit 2 Win, a teen smoking cessation program

The overall purpose of this study is not to evaluate a teen smoking cessation intervention but rather to study the processes of smoking cessation and relapse among a group of high school students attending a school-based smoking cessation program. Specifically, the study: compares highly tempting situations in which teens report resisting smoking with situations in which teens report lapsing with respect to whether they were in a telic (serious-minded) vs. a paratelic (playful) state, whether they were in negativistic vs. conformist states, whether cigarettes were available during the episode, and the number and type of coping strategies used. The study also examines relationships among the state of readiness to quit smoking, measured by the Stages of Change assessment; nicotine dependence; attendance at smoking cessation sessions, adherence to suggestions to reduce smoking as self-reported in Sessions, 2, 3, 4, up until the quit date, which is the 5th meeting; attempted abstinence from smoking as reported in Sessions 6-10, days abstinent during the program, or number of cigarettes smoked the last session they attended the program.;The Quit 2 Win Smoking Cessation program was run in four high schools. Data were collected at assessment and at each session. In addition to data collected concerning level of addiction, stage of change, attendance, and cigarettes smoked, an interview was conducted the week the teens quit. This interview examined the state of mind the student was in telic vs. paratelic, negativistic vs. conformist, whether cigarettes were available, and coping strategies the teens used to resist smoking.;The study found that only one addiction scale---the Hooked on Tobacco Scale---was correlated significantly to tobacco use. Attendance at the first four sessions did correlate positively to reduced tobacco use. The study also found that teens were more likely to relapse in a paratelic state vs. a telic state and that cigarette availability and number of coping strategies used affected whether the teen resisted smoking. This study provided new insight into the state of mind of teens as they quit smoking and opens the door to new interventions based upon these findings.