Self‐discontinuity, smoker and ex‐smoker identity, and smoking relapse: A multilevel longitudinal study

Abstract

The present study examined longitudinal associations between smoking‐related self‐discontinuity (i.e. the perception that quitting smoking has disrupted the stability of one's self‐concept over time), smoker and ex‐smoker identity, and smoking relapse. We tested a mediation model in which increases in self‐discontinuity were expected to increase relapse risk through concurrent and prospective increases in smoker identity and decreases in ex‐smoker identity. The model was evaluated in a four‐wave longitudinal study conducted over 1 year among former smokers who had quit within the previous 5 years. Multilevel analyses isolated within‐person associations between self‐discontinuity, identity, and relapse over time while controlling for time‐invariant between‐person differences related to smoking history. Results showed that within‐person increases in self‐discontinuity were indirectly associated with a higher likelihood of relapse at the subsequent wave through their concurrent association with smoker identity, but not ex‐smoker identity. Moreover, no indirect effects emerged when changes in both smoker and ex‐smoker identities were modeled prospectively. Sensitivity analyses provided no evidence for reverse indirect pathways from identity to relapse via self‐discontinuity. However, within‐person increases in both smoker and ex‐smoker identities predicted subsequent increases in self‐discontinuity, suggesting that identity fluctuations may precede feelings of self‐discontinuity rather than the reverse.