The relationship between self-efficacy and reductions in smoking in a contingency management procedure.
Social--cognitive and behavioral theories of change disagree on what the relevant controlling variables for initiating behavior change are. Correlations between baseline smoking cessation self-efficacy and the changes in breath carbon monoxide (CO) and the reduction in breath CO and increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy from baseline were obtained from a contingency management smoking cessation procedure. A test of the difference between the cross-lag correlations suggested a nonspurious causal relationship between smoking cessation self-efficacy and changes in breath CO. Path analyses showed that decreases in breath CO (reductions in smoking) predicted later increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy. Baseline self-reports of smoking cessation self-efficacy were not significantly correlated with subsequent changes in breath CO. Rather, significant correlations were found between reductions in breath CO and later increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy. These results suggest that self-efficacy may be a cognitive response to one's own behavior, and are inconsistent with a social--cognitive view of self-efficacy's role in behavior change. Implications for the development of smoking cessation programs and health-promoting behavior changes in general are discussed.
Romanowich
Paul
P
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78229-3900, USA. romanowich@uthscsa.edu
Mintz
Jim
J
Lamb
R J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D020377:Self Efficacy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*
D002248:Carbon Monoxide