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Cognitive Antecedents and Sequelae of Smoking Relapse Crises 1
Author(s) -
Shiffman Saul
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1984.tb02238.x
Subject(s) - psychology , craving , feeling , hotline , coping (psychology) , clinical psychology , cognition , psychiatry , social psychology , addiction , telecommunications , computer science
This study examines Marlatt's account of the cognitions surrounding relapse episodes. Interviews with 143 ex‐smokers who called a relapse prevention hotline provided mixed support for this account. Most subjects, especially those who smoked, stated that they had expected smoking to result in reduced tension. Subjects who were motivated by reduction of craving were unlikely to smoke. Contrary to expectations, all subjects experienced significant drops in self‐efficacy as a result of the relapse crisis, regardless of whether or not they smoked. Subjects who did not smoke worried about future crises, while those who did felt guilty about their transgression. Both groups reported feelings of failure, which were related to the absence of coping. These unexpected results, though based on a limited sample, suggest that many subjects' experience of relapses and near‐relapses are not well described by current theory.