Increasing Smoking Cessation Adherence: Do We Need to Consider the Role of Executive Function and Rumination?

Authors

  • Marianna Masiero
    Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
  • Mark Cropley
    School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Surrey, United Kingdom
  • Gabriella Pravettoni
    Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

Abstract

Despite the cost and health consequences, a large number of people continue to smoke cigarettes worldwide every day. Notwithstanding, there have been a number of interventions to help people stop smoking but, in general, these have produced only limited success, and better interventions are needed. Accruing evidence affirmed that rumination and executive function play a pivotal role in cigarette smoking behavior, and in this editorial, we describe and discuss the key findings between these constructs and smoking, and argue that an impairment in executive functions does not act alone, but interacts with rumination by directing attention to depressive thoughts, thereby reducing the ability of smokers to engage in constructive behaviors, such as quitting smoking. Finally, we offer a new theory-driven model based on a deep understanding of the interactions between executive functions and rumination and potential moderator effects.