An ecological momentary assessment analysis of relations among coping, affect, and smoking lapse

This study used EMA data from smokers engaged in an earnest attempt to quit smoking to assess complex relations among coping, affect, and smoking. Analyses tested hypotheses about the main effects of coping and both mediators and moderators of coping effects on subsequent outcomes of interest (i.e., affect, coping effort, coping efficacy, and smoking behavior). Results of multilevel models indicated that coping does not improve negative affect within 4 hours of coping efforts, but that coping does improve positive affect and increase the odds of engaging in temptation coping in the short-term. Lapses were more likely to happen when recent coping was reported within 48 hours. None of the putative mediators of coping were predictive of later lapse risk as anticipated. Analyses also revealed that pre-quit coping practice moderated the effects of post-quit coping to deal with stressful events on later affect. Moreover, significant moderating gender effects were also found in these relations.