Brief psycho-education affects circadian variability in nicotine craving during cessation
Abstract
Background Nicotine cravings are a key target of smoking cessation interventions. Cravings demonstrate circadian variation during abstinence, often peaking during the morning and evening hours. Although some research has also shown diurnal variation in the efficacy of nicotine replacement medications, little research has examined how brief psychosocial interventions affect temporal patterns of craving during abstinence. The present study examined the impact of two brief psycho-education interventions on circadian variations in cravings during a 24-h period.Method 176 adult smokers interested in quitting participated in two lab sessions. During the first session, participants received (a) mindfulness psycho-education that encouraged acceptance of cravings as a normal, tolerable part of quitting that people should not expect to perfectly control, (b) standard cessation psycho-education, or (c) no psycho-education. Half the sample initiated a cessation attempt the following day. Dependent variables were assessed using ecological momentary assessment (24-h of monitoring, immediately after first lab session) and questionnaires four days later.Results Partially consistent with hypotheses, both forms of psycho-education were associated with differential diurnal variation in cravings during cessation. Relative to those receiving no psycho-education, standard smoking cessation psycho-education decreased morning cravings. Psycho-education encouraging acceptance of cravings was associated with lower craving in both the morning and evening, albeit only among successfully abstinent smokers.Conclusions Results demonstrate that brief non-pharmacological interventions can affect circadian craving patterns during smoking cessation. Further investigation of mechanisms of change and of the impact of psycho-education on cessation outcomes is warranted.
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Comparisons to active control conditions on craving were more mixed.
“Comparisons to active control conditions on the other hand were more mixed”
From Mindfulness, Acceptance and Defusion Strategies in Smokers: A Systematic Review of Laboratory Studies (2018) · cites this paper as Nosen and Woody 2013
Standardised manipulation checks were rare.
“standardised manipulation checks were rare (Litvin et al. 2012; Nosen and Woody 2013; Szasz et al. 2012)”
From Mindfulness, Acceptance and Defusion Strategies in Smokers: A Systematic Review of Laboratory Studies (2018) · cites this paper as Nosen and Woody 2013
Two studies examined meta-cognitive/affective outcomes relevant to smoking that were considered to constitute PFM-consistent outcomes.
“Two studies examined meta-cognitive/affective outcomes relevant to smoking (Beadman et al. 2015; Nosen and Woody 2013) that were considered to constitute PFM-consistent outcomes (Table 1).”
From Mindfulness, Acceptance and Defusion Strategies in Smokers: A Systematic Review of Laboratory Studies (2018) · cites this paper as Nosen and Woody 2013
Both studies showed effects favouring the PFM strategy compared to inactive or suppression controls.
“Both showed effects favouring the PFM strategy compared to inactive (Nosen and Woody 2013) or suppression controls (Beadman et al. 2015).”
From Mindfulness, Acceptance and Defusion Strategies in Smokers: A Systematic Review of Laboratory Studies (2018) · cites this paper as Nosen and Woody 2013
Two of the remaining three studies reported opposing effects, either an advantage for the PFM strategy or an advantage for the active (reappraisal) strategy relative to the PFM strategy.
“Two of the remaining three studies reported opposing effects, either an advantage for the PFM strategy (but only amongst those who made a quit attempt and only for evening craving levels at follow-up; Nosen and Woody 2013) or an advantage for the active (reappraisal) strategy relative to the PFM strategy (acceptance; Szasz et al. 2012).”
From Mindfulness, Acceptance and Defusion Strategies in Smokers: A Systematic Review of Laboratory Studies (2018) · cites this paper as Nosen and Woody 2013
Only two of the reviewed studies assessed understanding directly.
“yet only two of the reviewed studies assessed understanding directly (Litvin et al. 2012; Nosen and Woody 2013)”
From Mindfulness, Acceptance and Defusion Strategies in Smokers: A Systematic Review of Laboratory Studies (2018) · cites this paper as Nosen and Woody 2013
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Beadman, M. (2014) · UCL Discovery (University College London)
- Authors
- Nosen, E., & Woody, S. R.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Nosen, Elizabeth
- ORCID
- Woody, Sheila R.
- Venue
- Drug and Alcohol Dependence
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-09
- Volume
- 132
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 283-289
- ISSN
- 0376-8716 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1966955990
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 0.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Drug and Alcohol Dependence (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Keywords
- nicotine craving, smoking cessation, circadian variation, diurnal variation, psychoeducation, mindfulness, nicotine replacement therapy, non-pharmacological treatment, abstinence, ecological momentary assessment
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Carbon Monoxide, Circadian Rhythm, Cotinine, Female, Humans, Male, Patient Education as Topic, Smoking, Smoking Cessation, Treatment Outcome, Mindfulness
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