Associations between anxiety symptoms and barriers to smoking cessation among African Americans who smoke cigarettes daily. (1st April 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jafarzadeh, Nikki S.; Bello, Mariel S.; Wong, Melissa; Cho, Junhan; Leventhal, Adam M.
• Is Part Of: Drug and alcohol dependence. Volume 245(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-04-01
• Subjects: Barriers to smoking cessation -- Anxiety symptoms -- African Americans who smoke -- Health equity; Drug abuse -- Periodicals; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; 616.86
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109808
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0376-8716

Abstract

Abstract: Background: African Americans who smoke cigarettes and experience heightened anxiety symptoms may have low quit smoking rates. Identifying which particular barriers to cessation are associated with specific types of anxiety symptoms in African Americans could inform cessation treatments for this population. This cross-sectional, correlational study examined associations of anxiety-related symptoms and distinct barriers to cessation among non-treatment-seeking African Americans who smoke cigarettes daily. Methods: African Americans who smoke (N = 536) enrolled in a clinical research study on individual differences in tobacco addiction between 2013 and 2017 completed self-report measures of anxiety-related symptoms (i.e., social anxiety, panic, and posttraumatic intrusions) and types of barriers to cessation (i.e., addiction-related, social-related, and affect-related barriers). Linear regression models tested associations of anxiety symptoms with cessation barriers with and without adjusting for age, sex, depressive symptoms, and nicotine dependence. Results: All anxiety-related symptoms were associated with each cessation barrier ( β s = 0.240–0.396). After covariate adjustment, panic and trauma-related symptoms were not associated with cessation barriers, and the strength of association of social anxiety with external barriers was reduced but remained significant ( β = 0.254). Conclusion: Symptoms of social anxiety, but not trauma or panic-related symptoms, may play a unique, but modest, role in certain barriers to cessation in non-treatment-seeking African Americans who smoke cigarettes over. Further research is needed to uncover why African Americans who smoke and have anxiety might experience these barriers, and how future interventions can mitigate these obstacles. Highlights: All anxiety symptoms were associated with barriers to quitting smoking. Upon adjusting for covariates, only social anxiety was associated with external barriers. These findings may inform future interventions for African Americans who smoke.