Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Their Association With Smoking Outcome Expectancies Among Homeless Smokers in Boston
Conclusions:
Symptoms of posttraumatic stress are common among homeless smokers and strongly associated with positive smoking outcome expectancies. Tobacco cessation programs for this population should consider screening for PTSD and fostering a trauma-sensitive treatment environment.
Implications:
In this study of homeless cigarette smokers in Boston, over two-thirds of participants screened positive for PTSD. PTSD screen-positive respondents more strongly endorsed multiple positive smoking outcome expectancies than screen-negative individuals. These findings suggest that the psychological sequelae of trauma may be a pervasive but under-recognized factor impacting the persistence of smoking among homeless people. Tobacco cessation programs for this population should consider screening for PTSD, fostering a trauma-sensitive treatment environment, and incorporating strategies that have shown promise in smokers with PTSD.
Source: Nicotine and Tobacco Research - Category: Addiction Authors: Baggett, T. P., Campbell, E. G., Chang, Y., Magid, L. M., Rigotti, N. A. Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research
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