title: Individual variables related to craving reduction in cue exposure treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although extensive research has demonstrated that cigarette craving can be effectively attenuated, very few studies have explored associations between individual variables and craving reduction. This study explored whether individual characteristics predict craving decreases during virtual reality cue exposure treatment (VR-CET).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 41 treatment-seeking smokers (73% women) with a mean age of 39.4 (SD=13.2), who had been smoking 15.0 (SD=7.1) cigarettes per day for 20.0 (SD=10.7) years. Their mean score on the Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) was 4.8 (SD=2.3). Participants completed five cue exposure sessions using virtual reality for smoking cessation over a five-week period. The percentage of reduction in craving was calculated by comparing self-reported craving after the first and last exposure sessions. Sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, years of education and marital status), tobacco-related [duration of daily smoking, cigarettes per day, FTND and Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS)] and psychological characteristics [depressive symptoms (Beck's Depression Inventory-Second Edition, BDI-II), impulsiveness (delay discounting) and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI)] were examined as possible predictors for craving reductions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multiple regression revealed that greater decreases in craving were associated with younger age (β=-.30, p=.043), cigarettes smoked per day (β=.30, p=.042), higher values on delay discounting (β=.34, p=.020) and higher BDI-II scores (β=.30, p=.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that smokers with certain individual characteristics may benefit most from interventions aimed at reducing craving through VR-CET.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain. Electronic address: pericotirene@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pericot-Valverde
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain. Electronic address: garciaolaya@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: Olaya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: García-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments, University of Barcelona, Paseo Valle de Hebrón, 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: jgutierrezm@ub.edu.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Maldonado
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain. Electronic address: secades@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Secades-Villa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D066249:Craving; D003463:Cues; D065786:Delay Discounting; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D063367:Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Craving reduction; Cue exposure treatment; Tobacco; Virtual reality