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. 2007 Nov;116(4):848-53.
doi: 10.1037/0021-843X.116.4.848.

Symptom-system fit in couples: emotion regulation when one or both partners smoke

Varda Shoham  1 , Emily A Butler, Michael J Rohrbaugh, Sarah E Trost
Affiliations

Symptom-system fit in couples: emotion regulation when one or both partners smoke

Varda Shoham et al. J Abnorm Psychol. 2007 Nov.

Abstract

In a laboratory smoking experiment, 25 couples in which 1 or both partners continued to smoke despite 1 of them having heart or lung disease discussed a health-related disagreement before and during a period of smoking. Immediately afterward, the partners used independent joysticks to recall their continuous emotional experience during the interaction while watching themselves on video. Participants in dual-smoker couples reported increased positive emotion contingent upon lighting up, whereas those in single-smoker couples reported the opposite. The results highlight the role of smoking in close relationships, particularly in regulating emotional closeness when both partners smoke. Attention to this fit between symptom and system may be useful in helping couples achieve stable cessation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Means of recalled positive emotion during the laboratory smoking experiment by primary smokers and their partners in single- and dual-smoker couples.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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