| Cigarette users often cite stress as a major barrier to quitting smoking. Though never examined directly, past research suggests that possessing a greater ability to exert self-control over one's behavior might weaken the negative impact that perceived stress has over smoking cessation. The present study examined the impact of perceived stress, self-control and their interaction on use of the processes of change for quitting smoking. An internet-based survey was completed by 130 adult current smokers (M age = 29.45; SD = 10.26; 62.3% Female; 70% White) who were considering quitting in the next 6 months. Self-report measures assessed perceived stress, self-control, process use, and a number of smoking- and quitting-related variables. Analyses examined the unique, direct effects of both perceived stress and self-control on process use, and whether self-control moderated the relation between perceived stress and process use. Perceived stress was found to have a small, negative effect on use of Behavioral processes (t [127] = -1.49, f² = 0.02) and Counterconditioning (t [127] = -2.05, f² = 0.03). Further, self-control was found to have a small buffering effect on the negative relation between perceived stress and Counterconditioning (t [126] = 1.88, f² = 0.03). No other direct or interaction effects were found. Further research is needed to explore the potentially buffering effect of self-control on the process of quitting smoking. If future studies support self-control as a buffer, self-control-building strategies may prove helpful in promoting quitting among cigarette users for whom stress represents a hurdle to cessation. |
