The Impact of Coping with Stressful Events on Negative Affect and Cravings Among Smokers with Mood Disorders
Abstract
Smokers with mood disorders report elevated levels of stress and negative affect. Craving is often cited as a key precipitant of smoking. Coping with stress has been associated with reduced cravings among smokers attempting to quit. However, research has not explored the impact of coping with stress on negative affect and cravings among smokers with mental illnesses. This study investigated whether coping with stress predicts lower subsequent craving, mediated by reduced negative affect, among socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers with mood disorders. We also explored whether receiving a mindfulness intervention impacted the effectiveness of coping with stress on reducing negative affect. This study used ecologically momentary assessment (EMA) data from a randomized controlled trial in which smokers with mood disorders were randomized to either receive a mindfulness-based intervention or an enhanced standard treatment. The final sample consisted of 39 participants. The hypothesis that coping with stress predicts lower craving through its impact on negative affect was supported for the contemporaneous model (i.e., when craving was measured at the same report as coping). However, coping with stress was not found to have a prospective effect on craving (i.e., when craving was measured at the next report, up to 12 hours later). Receiving a mindfulness-based intervention did not appear to impact the effectiveness of coping with stress on reducing negative affect. Future research should utilize formal mediation analyses to understand the indirect effects of coping with stress among smokers with mood disorders.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Personality psychology|Behavioral psychology
Recommended Citation
Selva Kumar, Danusha, "The Impact of Coping with Stressful Events on Negative Affect and Cravings Among Smokers with Mood Disorders" (2020). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI28030589.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI28030589
