Abstract
Two new psychological concepts related to relapse in smoking cessation were tested. 'Temporal comparisons' are ex-smokers' evaluations of their present situation compared to their situation as a smoker. 'Exposure evaluations' are evaluations of situations ex-smokers encountered when they used to smoke. In a cohort study among 323 ex-smokers, both concepts significantly predicted relapse after six months. Moreover, the relationship between temporal comparisons and relapse was mediated by exposure evaluations. In addition, this relationship also depended on self-efficacy; particularly when self-efficacy was low, temporal comparisons predicted relapse. These data provide new theoretical and practical perspectives to relapse. © The Author(s) 2011.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1082-1090 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Health Psychology |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- exposure evaluations
- goal progress
- relapse
- self-efficacy
- temporal comparisons