Adjunctive Mood Management for Telephone-based Smoking Cessation

The mood-management sessions are informed by CBT and emphasize psycho-educational and skills-based approaches to CBT. CBT has been used extensively to address mood management. Specifically, SMK-MM enhancement includes behavioral activation, cognitive restructuring (working with automatic thoughts, problem solving, and behavioral skills (i.e., activity scheduling, relaxation training/controlled breathing). The SMK-MM-enhanced participant manual will also include additional worksheets developed for the investigator's pilot based on Lewinsohn's self-help guide to controlling depression. The main objective of the worksheets will be to provide Veterans with an opportunity to gain mastery over selected behavioral and cognitive skills thought to facilitate mood management. As is customary in CBT, homework based on the worksheets will be discussed during counseling calls.

"In the contact-equivalent health education condition, participants will receive parallel smoking cessation content on the same schedule as in the MM-enhanced arm; however, health education content will supplant the MM content. The educational content will be based on the VA National Center on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention's Health Living Messages on such topics as being safe, eating wisely, getting recommended immunization and screening tests, and being involved with the participant's health care. Participants also will receive chronic-disease-specific self-management information."