There is an interesting study which will appear in the April, 2009 issue of the journal, Addictive Behaviors, which studies pregnant women in Holland to see who stopped smoking during pregnancy and who didn't. Not suprisingly, the women who did not stop smoking had signicantly more psychosocial stressors. Here is a snippet from the abstract of the article:
After adjustment for sociodemographic and smoking-related covariates, low and high levels of pregnancy-related anxiety, exposure to physical/sexual violence, and high job strain were significantly associated with continued smoking during pregnancy. Intensive and comprehensive smoking cessation programs are required for pregnant women, which includes the management of psychosocial problems.
The last sentence has import for us in the substance abuse field in that quitting smoking is not just a matter of nicotine replacement therapy or the desire to quit but also attention to the triggers (stressors) and alternative ways of managing distressful emotions. At GCASA, we offer such treatment in our counseling services.
You can read the abstract of the article from Addictive Behaviors by clicking here.
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