Resilience is associated with importance of quitting in homeless adult smokers.

OBJECTIVE

The prevalence of cigarette smoking in homeless populations is disproportionately high with rates between 57 and 80%. Resilience may affect a smoker's ability to successfully quit smoking. This cross-sectional study examined the association between resilience levels and smoking behaviors in homeless adults.

METHOD

Fifty-nine homeless adults were recruited from a large multi-service homelessness agency in the northeast United States. Surveys were administered to measure smoking behaviors and resilience.

RESULTS

Most participants were current smokers (83.1%), with more than half (67.1%) identifying as "moderate smokers" (smoking 10-20 cigarettes per day). Of the current smokers, 93.9% reported smoking daily and 71.4% had tried to quit at least once in their lifetime. The number of quit attempts was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with one's contemplation of quitting (r = 0.29) and how one viewed importance of quitting (r = 0.33). Resilience levels were significantly associated with how participants ranked importance of quitting (r = 0.37). Smokers reported a high desire to quit smoking, but level of confidence in their ability to quit was low. Difficulty in finding stable housing and social support were reported as barriers to quitting.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates an association between importance of quitting and resilience levels in homeless adult smokers. Future work is needed to examine whether resilience is related to successful smoking cessation in homeless adults, and whether resilience levels can be increased with targeted interventions.