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A family consultation intervention for health-compromised smokers.

Shoham V, Rohrbaugh MJ, Trost SE, Muramoto M

Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0068, USA. varda@u.arizona.edu

Although spousal support predicts the success of a smoker's cessation efforts, "social-support" interventions based on teaching partners better support skills have had consistently disappointing results. We examined the potential utility of a family consultation (FAMCON) intervention based on family-systems principles in a treatment-development project involving 20 couples in which one partner (the primary smoker) continued to smoke despite having or being at significant risk for heart or lung disease. The 50% rate of stable abstinence achieved by primary smokers over at least 6 months exceeds benchmark success rates reported in the literature for other comparably intensive interventions, suggesting that a couple-focused intervention different in concept and format from social-support interventions tested in the past may hold promise for health-compromised smokers. The FAMCON approach appeared particularly well suited to female smokers and smokers whose partner also smoked--two subgroups at high risk for relapse.

Published 6 November 2006 in J Subst Abuse Treat, 31(4): 395-402.
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