Symptoms of Depression and Smoking Behaviors Following Treatment with Transdermal Nicotine Patch

Abstract

Subscales from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD), assessed prior to treatment, were examined as predictors of withdrawal, craving, and affect during the first week of abstinence, as well as smoking abstinence during the first week of abstinence and at the end of treatment. The negative affect and somatic features CESD subscales were related to higher levels of nicotine withdrawal. The relationship between the interpersonal disturbance CESD subscale and nicotine withdrawal approached significance. This study suggests the need to examine novel psychological mechanisms that may account for the relationship between depression symptoms and smoking cessation.

KEYWORDS:

• Smoking cessation
• depression
• CESD
• withdrawal

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Caryn Lerman, Elissa Martinez, Angela Pinto, Freda Patterson, Ainsley Backman, Carolina Miranda, Lynne Kohler, Ben Spears, and Sophie Feller for their participation in or assistance with the implementation of this research project and Lisa Yu and Trisha Mao for performing the analytical chemistry for this study.

This research was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R21 DA026889, R01 DA025078, P30 DA12393) and the National Cancer Institute (P50 CA143187).

Dr. Schnoll has served as a consultant to GlaxoSmithKline, the company that manufactures the nicotine patch used in this study. However, GSK did not provide medication or financial support for this study.

Notes

1. No significant interaction effects were found between depression and treatment group.

2. No relationship was found between withdrawal symptoms and changes in weight across the treatment phase.