Associations between mental distress symptoms and smoking cessation in Austria

Background

Evidence suggests that symptoms of mental distress are associated with various aspects of smoking behaviour. Particularly, smokers experiencing psychological distress often report a strong intention to quit, yet are less likely to quit successfully. This study aims to compare symptoms of mental distress between smokers who intend to quit and those with no intention to change their smoking behaviour.

Methods

This study used cross-sectional data from the latest “Representative Survey of Consumption Patterns and Behaviours with Addictive Potential”, conducted by Gesundheit Österreich GmbH in 2022, and included 1,062 complete cases of current smokers (daily or almost daily). Using chi-squared tests and Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc analyses, smokers with an intention to quit were compared with smokers with no intention to quit regarding mental distress symptoms. Binomial logistic regression analyses were conducted as sensitivity analyses to control for sociodemographic factors.

Results

Across all symptoms assessed, smokers intending to quit were less likely to report no symptoms in the past four weeks compared to those who had no intention to quit. This applied to lack of interest or enjoyment in activities (25% vs. 36%), feeling down, gloomy or hopeless (39% vs. 52%), feeling nervous, anxious or tense (37% vs. 46%) and being unable to stop or control worries (48% vs. 59%). In the intention-to-quit group, 55% rated their mental health as “very good” or “fairly good”, compared to 65% in the group with no intention to quit. With the exception of feeling nervous, anxious or tense, these differences were statistically significant in both post hoc analyses and adjusted regression models.

Conclusions

A higher prevalence of mental distress symptoms among smokers who intend to quit should be taken into account when developing smoking cessation programmes. Keeping smoking cessation as the primary focus, integrating mental health support may improve their effectiveness.

Key messages

• The prevalence of mental distress symptoms is higher among Austrian smokers who intend to quit than among those who do not.

• While maintaining a primary focus on smoking cessation, integrating mental health support into cessation programmes may be important for improving their effectiveness.