Psycho-social determinants and motivational phases in smoking behavior of cardiac inpatients

Abstract

Background: To explore possibilities for health education, this study analyzed the differences in motives regarding smoking cessation of cardiac inpatients in various motivational phases. The Attitude-Social influence-Efficacy Model (ASE model) was used to assess motives, while motivational phases were measured with concepts from the Transtheoretical Model.

Methods: Data on smoking behavior, attitudes, social influences, self-efficacy expectations, and motivational phases were collected from a sample of 532 cardiac inpatients. A revised typology of the Transtheoretical Model was used for measuring motivational phases and resulted in four groups: smokers in precontemplation, smokers in contemplation, externally motivated actors, and internally motivated actors. Analysis of variance with Tukey's multiple comparison test was used to study differences in psycho-social determinants between these four groups.

Results: As hypothesized, externally motivated actors differed from internally motivated actors in having less positive attitudes, less social support, and lower self-efficacy expectations. Attitudes and social support were most positive among smokers in contemplation and internally motivated actors. Self-efficacy expectations were lowest among subjects in precontemplation and contemplation.

Conclusions: Subjects in different motivational phases differed in their psycho-social determinants. Therefore, it is recommended that stage-tailored education be developed. Finally, externally motivated actors have to be approached in a different way than internally motivated actors.