Situational fears: Association with negative affect-related smoking cognition among treatment seeking smokers

Abstract

Despite the consistent clinically-significant relation between smoking and anxiety and its disorders, there is limited understanding of how specific fears relate to smoking processes. To isolate therapeutic targets for smoking-anxiety treatment development, there is a need to identify the underlying situational fears most related to smoking processes. Thus, the present study examined the association between interoceptive, agoraphobic, and social fears in terms of clinically significant negative affect-related smoking cognitions including negative affect reduction expectancies, coping motives, and perceived internal barriers to cessation. Participants were 469 treatment seeking smokers (48.2% female, M = 36.59, SD = 13.58) enrolled in a smoking cessation trial and completed baseline measures of smoking cognitions and situational fears. Results indicated that the there was a significant effect for social fears, relative to interoceptive and agoraphobic fears, for each of the studied clinically relevant smoking variables. Overall, this study offers initial empirical evidence that social fears are significantly and consistently related to several clinically-significant types of smoking cognition.

Preoperative anxiety in adults - a cross-sectional study on specific fears and risk factors

“…To date, only one study has reported on mean scores regarding specific fears associated with preoperative anxiety [5]. The range of mean VAS scores (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35) is consistent with mean mNRS scores of the present study (2.4-3.9). However, results concerning items that were used in both surveys seem to be inconsistent.…”

“…Results concerning the latter variable are consistent with numerous publications suggesting a relationship between cigarette smoking, anxiety and anxiety disorders (e.g. [32,33]). However, the magnitude of the reported association is surprising and raises doubts whether the reported effects can be attributed to "smoking" solely.…”

Psychometric investigation of the Chinese version of the Habit, Reward and Fear Scale (HRFS)

“…Similarly, negative reinforcement, especially the alleviation of withdrawal‐related negative emotions, is also a key motivation for smoking (Hall et al., 2015 ). There is evidence that quitters with social anxiety are more likely to start smoking again (Bakhshaie et al., 2018 ). Researchers also found that a fear of obesity tends to disrupt the process of quitting smoking in the smoking population (Bush et al., 2014 ).…”