Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Apr;16(4):430-6.
doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntt167. Epub 2013 Nov 5.

Ecological momentary assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during a smoking quit attempt

Eric A Dedert  1 , Paul A Dennis, Cindy M Swinkels, Patrick S Calhoun, Michelle F Dennis, Jean C Beckham
Affiliations

Ecological momentary assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during a smoking quit attempt

Eric A Dedert et al. Nicotine Tob Res. 2014 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: Smokers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tend to lapse more quickly following a quit attempt, which might be explained by changes in PTSD symptoms during a quit attempt. The present study examines changes in PTSD symptoms, negative affect, and craving before and during a quit attempt.

Methods: Participants in this study were 52 smokers with PTSD who completed random-alarm ecological momentary assessments of PTSD symptoms, negative affect, cigarette craving, and smoking behavior throughout a prequit phase of ad hoc smoking, a phase of abstinence from smoking, and a postlapse phase.

Results: Relative to the prequit phase, the abstinent phase was marked by decreases in PTSD reexperiencing, avoidance, and numbing clusters (ps ≤ .01). The odds of PTSD symptom or negative affect variability from one reading in the ecological momentary assessment (EMA)to the next reading was decreased in PTSD reexperiencing, avoidance, and numbing clusters (ps ≤ .02). Smoking cravings were also mildly decreased in the abstinent and postlapse phases (ps < .01), although some cravings in both phases were rated at the maximum intensity. Increased craving was predicted by the previous EMA reading of PTSD symptoms.

Conclusions: Results suggested that smoking abstinence is not associated with exacerbation of PTSD symptoms, but PTSD symptoms during abstinence were related to craving levels during the quit attempt.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Probability of any intraindividual variability in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and negative affect across the prequit, abstinent, and postlapse phases. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. aSignificant difference between prequit and abstinent phases, p < .05; bsignificant difference between abstinent and postlapse phases, p < .05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association
    1. Beckham J.C., Calhoun P.S., Dennis M.F., Wilson S.M., Johnson Y.C., Dedert E.A. (2013). Predictors of lapse in the first week of smoking abstinence in posttraumatic stress disorder and non-posttraumatic stress disorder smokers. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 15, 1122–1129. 10.1093/ntr/nts252 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beckham J.C., Dennis M.F., McClernon F.J., Mozley S.L., Collie C.F., Vrana S.R. (2007). The effects of cigarette smoking on script-driven imagery in smokers with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. Addictive Behaviors, 32, 2900–2915. 10.1016/j.addbeh.2007.04.026 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beckham J.C., Feldman M.E., Vrana S.R., Mozley S.L., Erkanli A., Clancy C.P., Rose J.E. (2005). Immediate antecedents of cigarette smoking in smokers with and without posttraumatic stress disorder: A preliminary study. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 13, 218–228 doi:10.1037/1064-1297.13.3.219 - PubMed
    1. Beckham J.C., Kirby A.C., Feldman M.E., Hertzberg M.A., Moore S.D., Crawford A.L., Fairbank J.A. (1997). Prevalence and correlates of heavy smoking in Vietnam veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Addictive Behaviors, 22, 637–647 doi:0.1016/S0306- 4603(96)00071-8 - PubMed

Publication types