Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC.
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, American University, Washington, DC.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2020 Aug 24;22(9):1439-1445. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntaa034.
The looming vulnerability model holds that people become anxious when they perceive threats as growing larger and accelerating toward them in space and time. Preliminary research suggested that a guided imagery induction designed to activate a sense that health consequences of smoking are a looming threat led more smokers to attempt to quit. This study tested the effect on quit attempts in a larger sample and examined age, sex, and sensation seeking as moderators.
Adult smokers (≥10 cigarettes/day) screened for risk of anxiety or mood disorders (N = 278, 52% male; 77% African American) were randomly assigned to receive (1) looming vulnerability or (2) neutral guided imagery exercises. At a 4-week follow-up, they reported quit attempts, smoking rate, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and contemplation status.
Those in the looming condition (17%) were no more likely than those in the control condition (20%) to make a quit attempt. There were no significant group differences in expectancies, contemplation, or follow-up smoking rate, and no significant moderators.
The looming induction was the same one used in earlier work in which it had stronger effects. Those who respond to it with increased urgency about quitting smoking might be offset by others who are more reactant and deny the message. Inconsistencies across studies may reflect differences in inclusion criteria, such that the present sample was on average heavier smokers with longer smoking history and more severe nicotine dependence, yet higher self-efficacy.
An induction designed to activate a sense that the health consequences of smoking constitute a looming vulnerability failed to increase quit attempts or reduce smoking rate among adult daily smokers. Inconsistencies across studies might reflect varying sample characteristics resulting from changes in screening criteria.
迫在眉睫的脆弱性模型认为，当人们感到威胁在空间和时间上越来越大并加速向他们逼近时，他们就会变得焦虑。初步研究表明，一种旨在激活这样一种感觉的引导意象诱导，即吸烟对健康的后果是迫在眉睫的威胁，这导致更多的吸烟者试图戒烟。本研究在更大的样本中测试了这种方法对戒烟尝试的影响，并检查了年龄、性别和感觉寻求作为调节因素。
筛选出有焦虑或情绪障碍风险的成年吸烟者（每天吸烟≥10 支）（N=278，52%为男性；77%为非裔美国人），随机分配接受（1）迫在眉睫的脆弱性或（2）中性引导意象练习。在 4 周的随访中，他们报告了戒烟尝试、吸烟率、自我效能感、预期结果和考虑状态。
处于迫在眉睫状态的人（17%）与对照组（20%）相比，戒烟尝试的可能性没有增加。两组在预期、考虑或随访吸烟率方面没有显著差异，也没有显著的调节因素。
迫在眉睫的诱导与早期研究中使用的相同，其效果更强。那些对此反应更强烈，更紧迫地戒烟的人，可能会被那些更抵触和否认这一信息的人所抵消。研究结果的不一致可能反映了纳入标准的差异，例如，目前的样本平均吸烟量更大，吸烟史更长，尼古丁依赖程度更高，但自我效能感更高。
旨在激活一种感觉，即吸烟对健康的后果构成迫在眉睫的脆弱性的诱导，并没有增加成年每日吸烟者的戒烟尝试或降低吸烟率。研究结果的不一致可能反映了由于筛选标准的变化，样本特征的不同。
