Evaluation of a psychological treatment program for smoking effect of CO feedback

Abstract

Forty four smokers were exposed to a psychological treatment for smoking (López de la Llave y Buceta, 1996; López de la Llave, Buceta y Pérez-Llantada, 1997). Measures of CO in expired air were taken in each treatment session. Half of the sample (twenty one subjects) received immediate feedback of these measures, whereas the other half only knew this information after treatment. The intervention approximately lasted two months, and from the end of treatment six and twelve months follow ups were carried out. Subjects receiving feedback showed better adherence during treatment and also higher abstinence just after intervention. However, in the same direction of previous studies, abstinence progressively decreased after treatment, and no relevant differences between the two experimental conditions were found. The authors suggest that feedback may positively affect motivation during treatment, but other factors of treatment should be considered the ones that directly influence the achievement and maintenance of therapeutic benefits.