Episodic Thinking for Smoking
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This trial aims to explore new ways to help people quit smoking using a technique called episodic thinking, which involves visualizing future events. The study will test various methods of this technique, including Domain-specific episodic thinking, Episodic Future Thinking (EFT), Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT), and Generalized episodic thinking, to evaluate their effectiveness in encouraging smoking cessation, particularly in rural and urban areas. Participants will engage in exercises that help them imagine positive future events and how quitting smoking can impact these moments. Individuals who have smoked daily for the last 30 days and plan to quit soon might be a good fit for this study. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could help others quit smoking.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you are using any smoking cessation treatments, you cannot participate in the trial.
Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?
Research has shown that thinking about the future, known as episodic future thinking (EFT), is a promising way to change behaviors like smoking. Studies have found that EFT helps people focus more on their future, which can reduce smoking. This method has been used in various situations without raising major safety concerns.
Specifically, two types of EFT—general and specific—are being adapted to help people quit smoking. In past studies, participants had positive experiences and did not report any serious side effects, suggesting that EFT is safe for those trying to quit smoking.
The current trial tests how well these methods help people stop smoking, especially in rural areas where smoking is more common. While this trial is still in progress, earlier research supports the safety of using EFT.12345Why are researchers excited about this trial?
Researchers are excited about these techniques because they use episodic thinking to help people quit smoking by imagining future events. Unlike traditional treatments like nicotine replacement therapies or medications such as varenicline, these approaches emphasize mental visualization. Generalized episodic future thinking (EFT) encourages participants to envision positive future milestones, while domain-specific EFT adds the dimension of considering potential health impacts like lung cancer symptoms. These methods aim to strengthen motivation by making the future consequences of smoking more personally relevant and emotionally impactful.
What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for smoking cessation?
Research has shown that thinking about future events, known as episodic future thinking (EFT), can help people quit smoking. In this trial, participants will join different treatment arms to explore various forms of EFT. Studies have found that EFT, which involves imagining future scenarios, can lead to a 69.34% reduction in nicotine use. It also boosts the desire to quit by encouraging focus on the long-term benefits of not smoking. One arm of this trial will focus on generalized EFT, while another will explore domain-specific EFT that emphasizes personal health. These methods may help people quit smoking by making future health benefits feel more immediate and real.12678
Who Is on the Research Team?
Jeffrey Stein, PhD
Principal Investigator
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for daily cigarette smokers with a recent tobacco use indicator (salivary cotinine > 30 ng/mL) who plan to quit in the next month. It's not for those already diagnosed with smoking-related illnesses, using cessation treatments, having anxiety or mood disorders, or contraindications like pregnancy.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Treatment
Participants engage in episodic future thinking interventions for smoking cessation
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for smoking cessation outcomes and adherence to interventions
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Domain-specific episodic thinking
- Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)
- Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT)
- Generalized episodic thinking
Trial Overview
The study tests different versions of an intervention called episodic future thinking—visualizing one's future—to see if it helps people quit smoking. It compares generalized thinking and domain-specific thinking focused on the effects of smoking in rural and urban smokers.
How Is the Trial Designed?
4
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Placebo Group
The Generalized EFT group will identify positive events that may occur at 6 future time points (1 month to 5 years). These may include a broad range of personally significant milestones (e.g., weddings, birthdays) or other events that participants are looking forward to (e.g., spending time with loved ones). Participants will also generate vivid text descriptions, or cues (transcribed in their own words), to prompt EFT in the natural environment. These cues, including emotional impacts, will be elicited using standardized questions: Who are you with? What are you doing? Where are you? How are you feeling? Participants will be prompted to engage in Generalized EFT in the natural environment.
The Domain-Specific EFT group will complete an identical interview as the Generalized EFT group to identify positive future events, with one exception. Following initial cue generation, participants will be provided with descriptions of lung cancer symptoms (e.g., painful breathing; extreme fatigue; coughing up blood, phlegm, or mucus) and will be asked to visualize and include details related to this experience and their emotional impact in their revised cues. Thus, cancer-related symptoms occur in the context of otherwise positive, personally significant events to further highlight the impact of the diagnosis and to be consistent with Generalized EFT. Participants will be prompted to engage in Domain-Specific EFT in the natural environment.
The Domain-Specific ERT interview will be identical to the one described for Domain-Specific EFT, except participants will describe positive events they experienced in the last week and will subsequently add detail as though they were experiencing symptoms of lung cancer. Participants will be prompted to engage in Domain-Specific ERT in the natural environment.
The Generalized ERT interview will be identical to the one described for Generalized EFT, except participants will describe positive events they experienced in the last week. Participants will be prompted to engage in Generalized ERT in the natural environment.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Lead Sponsor
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Collaborator
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Collaborator
Citations
Generalized and Domain-Specific Episodic Thinking for ...
Successful smoking cessation yields the majority of its health benefits (e.g., avoidance of lung cancer) after years of sustained behavioral ...
Initial Evaluation of Domain-Specific Episodic Future ...
Episodic Future Thinking (EFT), mental simulation of personally relevant and positive future events, may modulate delay discounting (DD) in cannabis users.
Episodic Thinking for Smoking · Info for Participants
Successful smoking cessation yields the majority of its health benefits (e.g., avoidance of lung cancer) after years of sustained behavioral change; however, ...
4.
researchgate.net
researchgate.net/publication/312011907_Episodic_Future_Thinking_Involving_the_Nonsmoking_Self_Can_Induce_Lower_Discounting_and_Cigarette_ConsumptionEpisodic Future Thinking Involving the Nonsmoking Self ...
Participants under the EFT condition were less likely to smoke (50.0%) at a subsequent survey than were participants under the SFT condition (73.3%) and ...
Thinking About Episodic Future Events as a Way to Reduce ...
The present thesis first examined the effect of EFT (vs. episodic recent thinking) on the motivation to quit smoking using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) ...
The Influence of Episodic Future Thinking and Graphic ...
Taken together, these results suggest that incorporating techniques like EFT as therapeutic smoking cessation interventions may require additional research ...
7.
researchgate.net
researchgate.net/publication/356542375_The_Influence_of_Episodic_Future_Thinking_and_Graphic_Warning_Labels_on_Delay_Discounting_and_Cigarette_Demand(PDF) The Influence of Episodic Future Thinking and ...
Graphic cigarette pack warning labels may also reduce smoking by increased future orientation. The present experiments evaluated the effects of ...
Methodological considerations in the use of episodic future ...
In recent years, episodic future thinking (EFT) has emerged as a promising behavioral intervention to reduce delay discounting or maladaptive health behaviors.
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