The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Reductions in Smoking in a Contingency Management Procedure

Paul Romanowich, Jim Mintz, R. J. Lamb

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Social-cognitive and behavioral theories of change disagree on what the relevant controlling variables for initiating behavior change are. Correlations between baseline smoking cessation self-efficacy and the changes in breath carbon monoxide (CO) and the reduction in breath CO and increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy from baseline were obtained from a contingency management smoking cessation procedure. A test of the difference between the cross-lag correlations suggested a nonspurious causal relationship between smoking cessation self-efficacy and changes in breath CO. Path analyses showed that decreases in breath CO (reductions in smoking) predicted later increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy. Baseline self-reports of smoking cessation self-efficacy were not significantly correlated with subsequent changes in breath CO. Rather, significant correlations were found between reductions in breath CO and later increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy. These results suggest that self-efficacy may be a cognitive response to one's own behavior, and are inconsistent with a social-cognitive view of self-efficacy's role in behavior change. Implications for the development of smoking cessation programs and health-promoting behavior changes in general are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)139-145
Number of pages7
JournalExperimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology
Volume17
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bandura
  • Skinner
  • behavior modification
  • correlation
  • health psychology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Pharmacology (medical)
  • Pharmacology

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