Abstract
Negative mood states have been shown to increase the likelihood of relapse among smokers attempting to quit. Rumination increases the vulnerability to depression among smokers, a relationship that is intensified by impulsivity. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between depressive rumination and impulsivity on smokers’ (n = 53) lifetime quit attempt failures. Depressive rumination was positively associated with number of quit attempt failures. As hypothesized, there was a significant interaction between depressive rumination and impulsivity. At high levels of impulsivity, there was a strong positive association between depressive rumination and number of quit attempt failures. However, at low levels of impulsivity the association between depressive rumination and quit attempt failures was diminished and not significant. The results support an affect regulation model of quit attempt failures, whereby impulsivity strengthens effects of depressive rumination, decreasing the likelihood of successfully quitting smoking.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.