NCT02901171

The Contribution of a Smartphone Application to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group Treatment for Smoking Cessation

The Contribution of a Smartphone Application to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group Treatment for Smoking Cessation: a Randomised Controlled Trial Investigating Its Efficacy, Mediators and Moderators

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 150 (actual)
• Sponsor: University College Dublin · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a smartphone application in enhancing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy group treatment for smoking cessation. This study also aims to elucidate the processes through which the treatment promotes smoking cessation and for whom it is most effective.

Detailed description

Smoking is the single biggest preventable cause of death in Ireland and costs the exchequer approximately €1-2 billion per annum. Currently, 19.2% of Irish people aged 15 and over smoke. Given the magnitude of human suffering and economic cost associated with smoking, the systematic empirical development of cost-effective smoking cessation interventions is a major public health need. Combining a group-based treatment for smoking cessation with a theoretically-consistent smartphone application has the advantage of augmenting therapeutic content delivered in the clinic with on-the-spot assistance in the individual's natural environment. In accordance, this study will evaluate the efficacy of a smartphone application in enhancing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy group treatment for smoking cessation. This study will also elucidate the processes through which the treatment promotes smoking cessation. Identifying such mediators of change can inform the enhancement of subsequent interventions, enabling them to retain efficacious elements and disregard redundant elements. Furthermore, this study will identify the participant characteristics associated with differential response to the treatment. Clarifying such treatment moderators can facilitate practitioners in selecting optimal treatments for individual service users. Participants will attend a baseline assessment on an individual basis prior to their smoking cessation attempt. During this session, participants will provide a breath sample and complete a series of self-report measures: Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence, Commitment to Quitting Scale, smoking-related variables (e.g., years smoking, previous quit attempts, etc.), Avoidance and Inflexibility Scale, Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, Valuing Questionnaire, Present Moment Awareness Subscale of the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale, and the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire. Participants will then be randomly allocated to the combined treatment, ACT group treatment or group based Behavioural Support Programme. A post-treatment assessment will be conducted to investigate changes in the variables measured at baseline. In addition, a six-month follow-up assessment will determine whether the effects of the treatments are sustained over an extended period of time.

Conditions

• Smoking

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	ACT group treatment combined with smartphone application	The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group treatment for smoking cessation will be delivered in six weekly 90-min sessions. Smoking cessation will be promoted in each session by targeting core processes of the ACT model including acceptance, cognitive defusion, mindfulness, flexible perspective taking, values clarification and committed action. In addition, participants will receive an ACT-based smartphone application for smoking cessation. The application will foster core processes of the ACT model through daily exercises, tips and tools.
BEHAVIORAL	ACT group treatment
BEHAVIORAL	Group based Behavioural Support Programme	The Behavioural Support Programme will be facilitated by stop smoking experts and delivered in six weekly 90-min sessions in a group format. During the sessions, advice, support and information on smoking cessation will be given to participants and behavioural techniques will be reviewed.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-09-01
• Primary completion: 2018-07-01
• Completion: 2018-07-01
• First posted: 2016-09-15
• Last updated: 2018-07-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Ireland