Mood Management Intervention for College Smokers With Elevated Depressive Symptoms: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective: This pilot study examined smoking reduction and cessation among college smokers with elevated depressive symptomatology participating in a group-based behavioral counseling, mood management, and motivational enhancement combined intervention (CBT). Participants and Methods: Fifty-eight smokers (smoked 6 days in the past 30) were randomized to 6 sessions of CBT (n = 29) or a nutrition-focused attention-matched control group (CG; n = 29). Results: Relative to CG participants, significantly more CBT participants reduced smoking intensity by 50% (χ²[1, N = 58] = 4.86, p = .028) at end of treatment. Although CBT participants maintained smoking reductions at 3- and 6-month follow-up, group differences were no longer significant. No group differences in cessation emerged. Finally, participants in both groups evidenced increased motivation to reduce smoking at end of treatment (F[1, 44] = 11.717, p = .001, η_p ² = .207). Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the utility of this intervention for smoking reduction and maintenance of reductions over time among a population of college students with elevated depressive symptomatology.

Keywords:

• cigarette smoking
• college students
• depressive symptoms

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (F31DA023738, principal investigator: Schleicher) and The University of Montana. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIDA or the National Institutes of Health.