Do Pain-Related Anxiety and Difficulties With Emotion Regulation Impact Abstinence Expectancies or Motivation to Quit E-Cigarette Use?

Introduction:
This text discusses a study examining the relationship between pain-related anxiety, difficulties with emotion regulation, and e-cigarette use. The study aimed to determine how pain-related anxiety and difficulties with emotion regulation independently and interactively predict e-cigarette users' motivations to stop using e-cigarettes and their expectancies surrounding abstinence. The key points of the study's design and major findings are summarized below.

Key Points:

* The study used an online survey to recruit participants from more than 30 U.S. states.
* Participants were daily e-cigarette users who identified as male or female and were predominantly white and non-Hispanic.
* The study measured pain-related anxiety using the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS-20) and difficulties with emotion regulation using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS).
* The study also measured e-cigarette abstinence expectancies and motivation to quit using e-cigarettes.
* Increased pain-related anxiety was associated with negative abstinence expectancies and increased motivation to quit e-cigarettes.
* Difficulties with emotion regulation were associated with negative abstinence expectancies, but not with motivation to quit e-cigarettes when pain-related anxiety was included in the model.
* The interaction between pain-related anxiety and difficulties with emotion regulation was not significantly associated with abstinence expectancies or motivation to quit e-cigarettes.

Main Message:
The study found that pain-related anxiety was associated with negative abstinence expectancies and increased motivation to quit e-cigarettes. Difficulties with emotion regulation were also associated with negative abstinence expectancies, but not with motivation to quit e-cigarettes when pain-related anxiety was taken into account. The interaction between pain-related anxiety and difficulties with emotion regulation was not significantly associated with abstinence expectancies or motivation to quit e-cigarettes. These findings suggest that pain-related anxiety may be an important factor to consider in e-cigarette cessation efforts. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between pain-related anxiety, difficulties with emotion regulation, and e-cigarette use.

Gold AK, Otto MW, Hoyt DL, Garey L, Smit T, Zvolensky M. Do Pain-Related Anxiety and Difficulties With Emotion Regulation Impact Abstinence Expectancies or Motivation to Quit E-Cigarette Use? Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs. 2021;82(3):414-421.