The effects of cognitive behavioral smoking cessation program on normal, depressive and social anxiety with smokers

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the cognitive- behavioral smoking cessation programme on the subjects with depression, social anxiety and with no abnormalities. There are three experiment groups and three control groups in this study, which is a formation of the true experimental design. Seventy subjects were participated in this study. Information Gathering Form (BGF), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Minesotta Multiphasic Personality Inventory- Socially Discomfort (MMPI-Si) and Symptom Check List (SCL-90) scales have been used as data collecting instruments throughout the study. Moreover, DSM-III-R were used as screening criteria for the presence of psychopathology. Repeated Measures statistics was used to analyse the data gathered in this research. Furthermore, in order to explore and define sub-relationships, independent t test, Wilcoxon T test, covariance and one-way ANOVA were used. In addition to these, descriptive statistics was used, when necessary, to inquire the change levels and other qualitative findings in the study. After one-week-participant orientation, cognitive-behaviourist smoking cessation programme had been applied throughout eight- sessions. In this period of the study, cognitive-behavioural issues such as ongoing assistance for motivation, self-control, social support, help by phone, homework assignment, strengthening self-efficacy beliefs and relapse prevention had been taken into consideration. At the end of the study, it was found out that %54 of the normal smokers, %58 of the depressive smokers and %45 of the people have social anxiety quitted smoking. On the other hand, there was no one who quits smoking in control groups. At the end of this experimental study, it was witnessed that there has been a decrease in the amount of daily-average-smoking of the participants in the experiment groups. At the same time there has been a significant decrease in the symptoms of depression and social anxiety. At the end of three- and six-month follow ups the ratio of smoking cessation in the normal- smoker-experiment group has decreased to %18. No-one in the control group has quitted smoking. Whilst in the third month of follow-up the ratio of smoking cessation in depressive experiment group was %33.3, in the sixth month this ratio decreased to %17. In the control group at the end of sixth month the smoking cessation ratio was %8.3. Overall findings revealed that cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation programme might be patly successful in smoking cessation, with the previous findings in mind. The results are discussed in terms of intervention program design, implimentation and the further research. X