# Smoking Cessation in Persons with Mental Health Conditions: Exploring the Role of Family and Friends

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · 2022 · $8,553

## Abstract

PA-20-251 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral
Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Parent F31-Diversity). Smokers with mental
health conditions (MHC) have increased risk of dying from lung and cardiovascular disease. The smoking rate
among people with MHC greatly exceeds the rate in the general adult population. Although, these smokers are
interested in quitting, their quit rates are much lower than the general population. Factors that act as quitting
barriers for these smokers, include pro-smoking social norms and attitudes/behaviors of social network
members, underuse of pharmacotherapies and behavioral strategies, and inconsistent treatment of tobacco
dependency of mental health providers. Thus, leading researchers have called for innovative approaches to
address smoking disparities in people with MHC. Family/peer-based behavioral interventions can be an
innovative and effective approach to target smokers with MHC for several reasons. Family/peers influence
smoking behaviors, and their importance in health behavior change is well-established. Families/peers are often
a principal resource for persons with MHC in seeking and accessing health services. A small but consistent body
of literature suggests that family/peers may influence the cessation behavior of smokers with MHC. Family /peers
could augment other cessation interventions such as adoption of pharmacotherapies. However, interventions
that attempt to harness family/peer support for long-term smoking cessation have underperformed. Knowledge
gaps exist in our understanding of the mechanisms through which family/peers affect smoking behaviors, as well
as how to involve family/peers in smokers’ cessation efforts. Guided by the social influence domain, as outlined
in the Theoretical Domains Framework, my dissertation will address these knowlegde gaps. My specific aims
are to: 1) prospectively examine the effect of family/peer influences on smoking cessation among smokers with
MHC using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH study), a nationally
representative survey of US non-institutionalized individuals in which participants are interviewed annually, 2)
evaluate relationships between smokers’ characteristics, family/peer influences, and smoking cessation among
smokers with MHC using Structural Equation Models, and 3) qualitatively explore social and clinical barriers and
facilitators to smoking cessation and inclusion of family/peer support among smokers with MHC and mental
health care providers. This work in combination with the proposed training will facilitate my development into an
independent research scientist committed to conducting research focused on tobacco prevention and control. I
will be supported by an outstanding mentoring team with expertise in all the relevant areas: smoking cessation,
mental health, implementation science, and biostatistics. My research directly addresses NHLBI’s...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10361191
- **Project number:** 5F31CA263974-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Catherine S Nagawa
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $8,553
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-04-01 → 2022-05-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10361191

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10361191, Smoking Cessation in Persons with Mental Health Conditions: Exploring the Role of Family and Friends (5F31CA263974-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10361191. Licensed CC0.

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