Decision-Tree Model of Long-term Abstention from Smoking: Focused on Coping Styles

Objectives: Smokers who had failed to quit smoking were frequently reported that life stress mostly interrupted their abstention. Stress vulnerability model for smoking cessation has been considered, and most of contemporary smoking cessation programs help smokers develop coping strategies for stressful situations. This study aims to investigate the appropriate coping styles for stress of abstention from smoking. The result of investigating the relationship between abstention following smoking cessation program and coping styles would suggest useful information for those who want to stop smoking and health practitioners who help them. Methods: Participants were 69 smokers (62 males, 7 females) participated in a hospitalized smoking cessation program, whose mean age was 44.89 (SD=9.61). Participants took medical test and completed questionnaires and psychological tests including: Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence and Multidimensional Coping Scale. To identify participants' abstention, researchers followed them for 2 years. To identify whether abstained or not and encourage them to abstain, researchers called them on the telephone once a week for 3 months. After 3 months, they were contacted every other week till 6 months passed since they left smoking cessation program. And they were contacted once a month for other 18months. Researchers also contacted their family to identify their abstention. Data Mining Decision Tree was performed with 37 variables (13 variables for the coping styles and 24 smoking-related variables) by Answer Tree 3.0v Results: Forty four (63.8%) out of sixty nine for 2 weeks, 34 (49.3%) for 6 months, 25 (36.2%) abstained for 1 year, and 22 (31.9%) abstained for 2 years. Participants of this study abstained average of 286.77 days from smoking. Included variables of a Decision Tree model for this study were positive interpretation, emotional expression, self-criticism, restraint and emotional social support seeking. Decision Tree model showed that those (n=9) who did not interpret positively (<=7.5) and criticized themselves (>6.5) abstained 23 days only, while those (n=9) who interpreted positively (>7.5), expressed their emotion freely (>6.5), and sought social support actively (>11.5) abstained 730 days, till last day of the investigation. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that certain coping styles such as positive interpretation, emotional expression, self-criticism, restraint and emotional social support seeking were important factors for long-term abstention from smoking. These findings reiterate the role of stress for abstention from smoking and suggest a model of coping styles for successful abstention from smoking. Despite of limitation of this study, it might help smokers who want to stop smoking and health practitioners who help them.

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