All ETDs from UAB

Advisory Committee Chair

Karen Cropsey

Advisory Committee Members

Adrienne Lahti

Kristine Lokken

Jesse Milby

Xiao Zhang

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

2011

Degree Name by School

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) College of Arts and Sciences

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Prevalence of smoking among participants in community corrections far exceeds those in the general population. The purpose of the study was to examine predictors of smoking cessation outcome among community correction participants who were enrolled in a randomized control trial that used bupropion to treat tobacco dependence. This study found that inattention was a significant barrier to treatment. Specifically, performance on measures of attention including number of omissions errors on the Conner's Continuous Performance Task - Second Edition (CPT-II) and time to complete Trails A were the best indicators of negative treatment outcome. It is possible that inattentive smokers may benefit from higher doses of bupropion to quit smoking or alternative forms of treatment. Impulsivity, on the other hand, was found to not interfere with treatment. Those who engage in criminal activities may demonstrate higher levels of impulsivity than the general population. By enrolling only those under criminal justice supervision, our sample may have demonstrated a limited range of impulsivity necessary to detect problem levels of impulsivity that may interfere with treatment outcome. It is recommended that future studies enroll a matched control group of smokers from the general population for comparison.

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