Evaluation of the Effects of Psychological Addiction and Smoking Urge on the Success of Smoking Cessation

Aim: Psychological dependence and smoking desire are as important as physical dependence on smoking.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the addiction levels and smoking urge of people who want
to quit smoking on their success.
Patients and Methods: This study, which is a cross-sectional analytical study, was conducted people who
applied to a smoking cessation clinic between 10 January 2020 - 30 April 2020. Sociodemographic information
form, the Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test (FNDT) and the Test for the Assessment of the Psychological
Addiction of Smoking (APAS) were applied and CO levels were measured. Motivational interviews were made
and treatments were arranged if necessary. The Carbon monoxide (CO) levels of the patients who were called
for control one month later were measured and the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU) was applied.
Those with a CO level of 5 ppm and above were considered to be unable to quit smoking.
Results: The average age of 176 patients participating in the study was 37.68±11.89 years and 81.3% were
male. The mean of cigarette consumption per pack was 23.42±16.06, the average FNDT was 6.13±2.39
and the CO was 13.33±6.31 ppm. APAS scale mean score was 15.19±2.63 points. According to the FNDT
score, 41.5% of the patients were highly dependent, and 6.8% according to the APAS score were severely
dependent. Control CO level of the patients who came for control one month later was found to be 5.03±3.03
ppm. Accordingly, 67.6% of the patients could not quit smoking, and the mean QSU score was 33.56±15.71.
FNDT, APAS and QSU scale mean scores of those who quit smoking were statistically significantly lower than
those who did not quit smoking (p=0.015, p<0.001 and p=0.025, respectively).
Conclusion: Those who are high psychological dependence to smoking have low success to quitting smoking.
Psychological addiction such as nicotine addiction of those who apply to smoking cessation clinics should be
evaluated and ways of coping with smoking desire should be expl ained during motivational interviews.