Shelter proximity and affect among homeless smokers making a quit attempt.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the associations between shelter proximity and real-time affect during a specific smoking quit attempt among 22 homeless adults.

METHODS

Affect was measured via 485 smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessments randomly administered during the weeks immediately before and after the quit day, and proximity to the shelter was measured via GPS. Adjusted linear mixed model regressions examined associations between shelter proximity and affect.

RESULTS

Closer proximity to the shelter was associated with greater negative affect only during the post-quit attempt week (p = .008). All participants relapsed to smoking by one week post-quit attempt.

CONCLUSIONS

Among homeless smokers trying to quit, the shelter may be associated with unexpected negative affect/stress. Potential intervention applications are suggested.