The Role of Addiction Mindsets in Smoking Cessation: Scale Development and Pilot Randomized Trial

Abstract

Lay theories about the malleability of human attributes, also known as fixed and growth mindsets, have been shown to impact behavior in many domains. The goal of this work was to measure and test the role of mindsets in nicotine addiction. In Study 1, data (N = 600) from both current smokers and non-smokers led to the development of a single-factor 6-item measure of mindset called the Addiction Mindset Scale (AMS). In Study 2, a survey of daily smokers (N = 200) showed that higher scores on the AMS, indicative of growth mindset, were positively and significantly associated with greater motivation to quit, greater commitment to quitting, greater self-efficacy to abstain, greater attribution of failure to lack of effort as opposed to ability, and fewer self-reported barriers to cessation (all p’s < .05). In Study 3, participants (N = 398) were randomly assigned to receive a growth mindset intervention or to a control group that did not receive anything. All participants were provided a smartphone application (app) that taught them skills to quit smoking and their cessation and engagement with the app were assessed after two months (92% outcome data retention). The groups did not differ on engagement with the quit-smoking app, but the intervention group showed descriptively higher quit rates. A per protocol analysis showed that participants who used the programs as intended showed greater engagement with the app and higher odds of cessation. Taken together, the studies illustrate the relationship between addiction mindset and smoking cessation and underscore the promise of a growth mindset intervention to change addictive behaviors.