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
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2013 Dec 23:13:1227.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-1227.

Group hypnosis vs. relaxation for smoking cessation in adults: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

Maria Dickson-Spillmann  1 , Severin Haug, Michael P Schaub
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Group hypnosis vs. relaxation for smoking cessation in adults: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

Maria Dickson-Spillmann et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Despite the popularity of hypnotherapy for smoking cessation, the efficacy of this method is unclear. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of a single-session of group hypnotherapy for smoking cessation compared to relaxation in Swiss adult smokers.

Methods: This was a cluster-randomised, parallel-group, controlled trial. A single session of hypnosis or relaxation for smoking cessation was delivered to groups of smokers (median size = 11). Participants were 223 smokers consuming ≥ 5 cigarettes per day, willing to quit and not using cessation aids (47.1% females, M = 37.5 years [SD = 11.8], 86.1% Swiss). Nicotine withdrawal, smoking abstinence self-efficacy, and adverse reactions were assessed at a 2-week follow-up. The main outcome, self-reported 30-day point prevalence of smoking abstinence, was assessed at a 6-month follow up. Abstinence was validated through salivary analysis. Secondary outcomes included number of cigarettes smoked per day, smoking abstinence self-efficacy, and nicotine withdrawal.

Results: At the 6-month follow up, 14.7% in the hypnosis group and 17.8% in the relaxation group were abstinent. The intervention had no effect on smoking status (p = .73) or on the number of cigarettes smoked per day (p = .56). Smoking abstinence self-efficacy did not differ between the interventions (p = .14) at the 2-week follow-up, but non-smokers in the hypnosis group experienced reduced withdrawal (p = .02). Both interventions produced few adverse reactions (p = .81).

Conclusions: A single session of group hypnotherapy does not appear to be more effective for smoking cessation than a group relaxation session.

Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN72839675.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow through the trial.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Keller R, Radtke T, Krebs H, Hornung R. Der Tabakkonsum der Schweizer Wohnbevölkerung in den Jahren 2001 Bis 2010 [Tobacco Consumption in the Swiss Population from 2001 to 2010] Zürich: Psychologisches Institut der Universität Zürich, Sozial- und Gesundheitspsychologie; 2011.
    1. Borrelli B, Hayes RB, Dunsiger S, Fava JL. Risk perception and smoking behavior in medically ill smokers: a prospective study. Addiction. 2010;13:1100–1108. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.02900.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Willems RA, Willemsen MC, Nagelhout GE, de Vries H. Understanding smokers’ motivation to use evidence-based smoking cessation aids. Nicotine Tob Res. 2013;13:167–176. doi: 10.1093/ntr/nts104. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Larabie LC. To what extent do smokers plan quit attempts? Tob Control. 2005;13:425–428. doi: 10.1136/tc.2005.013615. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhu S, Melcer T, Sun J, Rosbrook B, Pierce JP. Smoking cessation with and without assistance: a population-based analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2000;13:305–311. doi: 10.1016/S0749-3797(00)00124-0. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data