Service-user experiences of an integrated psychological intervention for depression or anxiety and tobacco smoking in IAPT: A qualitative investigation into mechanisms of change in quitting smoking

Background: High smoking prevalence leads to increased morbidity and mortality in individuals with depression/anxiety. Integrated interventions targeting both smoking and mood have been found to be more effective than those targeting smoking alone, but the mechanisms of change of these integrated interventions have not been investigated. Aims: This qualitative study aimed to investigate participants subjective experiences of the mechanisms underlying change in smoking behaviour following an integrated CBT-based intervention for smoking cessation and depression/anxiety. Methods: This study was embedded within an ongoing randomised controlled acceptability and feasibility trial(http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN99531779). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 IAPT service users and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Five themes were identified:(1) acquiring an increased awareness of smoking patterns, (2) developing individualised strategies, (3) practitioner style as supportive but not lecture-y (4) importance of regular sessions, and (5) having the opportunity to access intervention at the right time. Conclusions: These findings further our understanding of the mechanisms of change towards smoking cessation in this integrated intervention and highlight the need to emphasise and embed these components in manualised interventions to optimise therapeutic benefits and reduce smoking prevalence in people with depression/anxiety.