Psychology ETDs

Publication Date

2-1-2012

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness, for smoking cessation, of the Values Card Sort intervention based on the theoretical therapeutic model of Motivational Interviewing. Veterans at the New Mexico Veteran Affairs Healthcare System who elected to participate were randomly assigned to either one session of the MI-based Values Card Sort or one session of an education-based intervention called Preskills Training, which was designed specifically for this research study. All veterans who participated in the study then went through three sessions of the standard smoking cessation psychoeducational group at the VA. It was predicted that veterans who received one session of Values-Based MI would be smoking significantly fewer cigarettes per day at one-month and three-month follow-ups than veterans who received one session of Preskills Training. According to several analyses investigating differences between veterans in the Values-Based MI condition and veterans in the Preskills Training condition, there were no significant differences between the two groups on measures of cigarettes smoked per day, scores on the Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence, or on the subscale scores of the SOCRATES. However, it is important to note that there were significant decreases in smoking behaviors for all veterans in the study, regardless of the condition to which they were randomly assigned. Finally, the Values-Based MI condition was found to result in significantly greater decreases in smoking for those veterans who did not initially perceive their smoking to be discrepant with their values as opposed to those who did initially recognize a discrepancy.

Degree Name

Psychology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Psychology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Smith, Bruce

Second Committee Member

Kersh, Brian

Third Committee Member

Venner, Kamilla

Fourth Committee Member

Baca, Catherine

Sponsors

VISN 18 Grant received by Dr. Brian Kersh through the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Healthcare System

Language

English

Keywords

Motivational interviewing--Case studies, Smoking cessation--New Mexico, Veterans--Tobacco use--New Mexico.

Document Type

Dissertation

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