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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04383782

Examining Outcome Expectancies and Behavioral Reinforcers Among Young Adult Smokers

Chronic cigarette smoking habits often begin in adolescence or early adulthood. 98% of cigarette smokers try their first cigarette before the age of 26. Thus, young adult smokers represent an important target for early smoking cessation intervention. This study tests two interventions designed to increase motivation to quit and decrease smoking behavior. These interventions include: an expectancy challenge approach, which aims to increase negative beliefs about the consequences of smoking; and a behavioral economics approach, which encourages participants to substitute non-smoking behaviors that may still provide reinforcement similar to reinforcement derived from smoking a cigarette.

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Key information

Conditions

Smoking Cessation Behavior Health Behavior

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

American University

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20016, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 18-35 years old
  • English fluency
  • Living in the United States
  • Smoked at least 1 cigarette per week during the past month
  • Willing to be contacted for 1-month follow up assessment

Exclusion criteria

  • N/A

Treatment and study plan

Expectancy Challenge

Behavioral

Expectancy challenge intervention (see description in study arms).

Expectancy Challenge + Behavioral Activation

Behavioral

Expectancy challenge + behavioral activation interventions (see description in study arms)

Control

Behavioral

Neutral reading condition (see description in study arms).

Primary outcomes

  1. Quit attempt

    Time frame: 4-week follow up

    yes/no, whether or not the participant made a 24-hour (or longer) quit attempt between the date of the main experiment and the date of the 4-week follow-up assessment.

  2. Motivation to quit

    Time frame: 4-week follow up

    Contemplation ladder score (range 0-10; higher scores indicate more motivation to quit)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Smoking rate

    Time frame: 4-week follow up

    past month average self-reported smoking rate

  2. Outcome expectancies

    Time frame: 4-week follow up

    Smoking Consequences Questionnaire (S-SCQ); expected positive and negative consequences of cigarette smoking (range 0-9; higher scores indicate greater positive or negative expectancies)

  3. Behavioral reinforcers

    Time frame: 4-week follow up

    Pleasant Events Schedule (PES); reported behaviors that are pleasurable and not associated with smoking/urge to smoke

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

American University

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2021
First posted
May 12, 2020
Registry last updated
Jan 20, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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