The relationship between depression and motivation to quit among rural smokers

Abstract

This is the first study to examine the relationship between depression and autonomous motivation to quit smoking. A population-based sample of 750 smokers was identified from 50 rural primary care clinics across the State of Kansas. Participants were predominately female (58.5%), with a mean age of 47.2 years, and 234 (31.2%) were currently depressed. As hypothesized, we found that current depression was not significantly related to importance in quitting smoking or stage of change. In addition, depression was not significantly associated with autonomous motivation. Results suggest that depressed smokers are just as motivated to quit smoking and have similar autonomous reasons for quitting smoking as non-depressed smokers. The prevalence of current depression among this sample of rural primary care smokers is high and underscores the need to screen for depressive symptomatology and to continue to offer depressed smokers smoking cessation opportunities and treatment.