| introduction | programme | venue | speakers | delegate list | booking | supporters | sponsors
<
Exploring the process of quitting smoking and staying stopped: a qualitative study of long-term quitters.
Eleni Vangeli, Research Psychologist, Health Behaviour Research Centre, University College London
Abstract
NHS stop smoking treatments have been demonstrated to be effective in the short-term, but unfortunately around 70% of quitters relapse by 12 months. Our efforts to help people to avoid relapse have not proved fruitful, as reflected in a recent Cochrane review which concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend any of the relapse prevention approaches evaluated to date. There is an urgent need to find more effective methods of reducing the relapse rate, but this requires a more complete understanding of the process.
The study to be presented is the first of a three part project, examining the variety of causes and processes which lead smokers who are initially abstinent to relapse back to smoking. The current study explored the experiences of 10 long-term quitters to gain insight into the psychological processes which may serve to protect quitters from relapse. Participants were ex-smokers who had quit with South East Stop Smoking Service reporting abstinence at 4 weeks and 52 weeks from their quit-day (expired carbon monoxide readings were taken at the 4 week end of treatment point and also at the time of interview to verify abstinence). An in-depth interview was conducted with each participant and this was structured according to the five themes of the PRIME theory (West, 2006) which highlight: the importance of considering all levels of the motivational system (plans, responses, impulses, motives and evaluations); the fundamental role of the immediate situation; the role of experience in developing dispositions, the importance of identity; and the ‘chaotic’ nature of motivational change. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1995) was used to examine the interview data. A summary of the findings, in particular the role of identity and how its various guises appear to influence both motivation to quit and to stay stopped will be discussed in relation to PRIME theory.
Biography
Eleni Vangeli graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and Health Science in 2000, and then an MSc in Health Psychology in 2002 from Bristol U.W.E. She then went on to work as a Research Psychologist at Hillingdon Hospital looking at providing psychological support for women with Gynaecological Cancer. In 2004, Eleni joined the tobacco research team at UCL, working on a clinical trial (ZORN trial) comparing the efficacy of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and Buproprion (Zyban) in the treatment of tobacco dependence. She is currently conducting a research project investigating the social and psychological reasons for relapse back to smoking and methods of relapse prevention as well as working towards a D(Psych)in Health Psychology.
Eleni Vangeli
Health Behaviour Research Centre
2-16 Torrington Place
London
WC1E 6BT
| |
|
