Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention for Tobacco Dependents

Treatments based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, including relapse prevention, have become standard for smoking cessation in Brazil and many other areas of the world; yet scientific advances are still needed.

Mindfulness-based approaches have more recently begun to be assessed and implemented for treatment of addiction. The Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) program, which integrates mindfulness practice with cognitive therapy approaches, has shown promising preliminary results in previous studies.

The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention program as an adjunct in the standard smoking cessation treatment instituted by the Ministry of Health in Brazil.

The study is a randomized clinical trial, with 60 patients diagnosed with nicotine dependence. 60 patients will participate in this study receiving treatment (instituted by the Ministry of Health in Brazil, through the Instituto Nacional do Câncer - INCA'S standard) randomized between two groups: the Experimental Group (EG), which will undergo eight sessions of MBRP; and the Control Group (CG) that will undergo eight sessions of the traditional model of Relapse Prevention (INCA's standard). This will include patients diagnosed with nicotine dependence, who have achieved abstinence. Specific Objetctives: Evaluate the difference in the number of patients who continued abstinence of tobacco; Study the effectiveness MBRP in preventing lapses and relapses; Evaluate the effect of MBRP on the craving and its association with smoking cessation; Evaluate the effect of MBRP in positive and negative affects and its association with smoking cessation; To investigate the association of levels of mindfulness with smoking cessation; Evaluate the effect of MBRP in depressive symptoms, and its possible association with smoking cessation; Evaluate the effect of MBRP in anxiety symptoms, and its possible association with smoking cessation. These will be assessed at baseline (T0) and four other times: 1 (T1), 3 (T2), 6 (T3) and 12 months (T4) after the initiation of the study, besides being subjected to evaluations of regularly planned maintenance in the protocol INCA. Screening instruments: Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20); Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD); Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D); Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ); Smokerlyser (measuring CO); The Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND); Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). For data analysis there will be used Analysis of Variance with Repeated Measures and Longitudinal Logistic Regression, in order to evaluate the effect of two types of intervention on the evolution of comorbidities and abstinence of patients. Context: Ambulatory benchmark to smoking cessation treatment in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Participants: • Inclusion: patients with a diagnosis of nicotine dependence;• Exclusion: dependence on other substances, psychiatric comorbidities, pregnant women. •Groups matched for gender, education level and dependence on tobacco level. This initial study will evaluate the feasibility of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention in the context of the Brazilian Public Health system as a supplemental treatment on craving and smoking cessation.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with a diagnosis of nicotine dependence;
• Patients currently smoking at least 10 cigarettes a day;
• Do not have any current major psychological disorders;
• Patients undergoing treatment for the first time
• Be willing to attend treatment and follow-up sessions, complete surveys and expired CO tests;
• Do not exhibit dependence on other drugs.

Exclusion criteria

• Dependence on other substances;
• Psychiatric comorbidities;
• Pregnant women.