Increasing Cessation Motivation and Treatment Engagement Among Smokers in Pain

Increasing Cessation Motivation and Treatment Engagement Among Smokers in Pain

The goal of this study is to develop and pilot test a brief intervention to increase motivation to quit and smoking cessation treatment engagement among smokers with chronic pain.

Pain and tobacco smoking are both critical national health problems, and there is mounting evidence that smokers in pain may represent an important and large subgroup who experience unique barriers and greater difficulty quitting. Smoking has been identified as a risk factor in the onset and exacerbation of chronic pain, and smokers experience greater levels of pain intensity and disability, relative to non-smokers. Initial evidence indicates that quitting smoking may improve pain outcomes (e.g., lower pain intensity) and supports the notion that smoking cessation may be an essential behavior change for smokers in pain. However, the vast majority of smokers are not yet ready to engage a serious quit attempt, and evidence-based treatments for smoking cessation remain dramatically underutilized. Therefore, the goal of this study is to develop and pilot test a brief intervention that will address smoking in the context of pain in order to increase motivation to quit smoking and engagement of available smoking cessation treatment. Participants will be randomized to either the adapted brief motivational intervention or an intervention consistent with standard clinical practice

Inclusion Criteria:

• Current daily cigarette smoking (at least 10/day)
• Current moderate-very sever chronic pain with a numerical pain rating of at least 4/10
• At least 18 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current active attempt to quit smoking
• Enrollment in smoking cessation treatment or use of a smoking cessation medication
• Less than 18 years of age