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Generalized and Domain-Specific Episodic Thinking for Smoking Cessation
Sponsor: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Summary
Cigarette smoking remains common, particularly in rural areas, despite ample evidence that smoking causes cancer and respiratory disease. Successful smoking cessation yields the majority of its health benefits (e.g., avoidance of lung cancer) after years of sustained behavioral change; however, people who smoke cigarettes tend to show elevated rates of delay discounting (i.e., devaluation of delayed outcomes) and a bias for immediate gratification. The overall goal of this project is to develop different versions of an episodic future thinking intervention (i.e., visualization of the future) and test their feasibility and efficacy for smoking cessation in rural and urban populations.
Official title: Generalized and Domain-Specific Episodic Thinking for Smoking Cessation: An 8-Week Pilot and Feasibility Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
21 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
134
Start Date
2026-05-01
Completion Date
2027-05-01
Last Updated
2026-03-31
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)
Participants will engage in EFT for 8 weeks, three times a day. Participants will receive three daily text messages. Each prompt will link to a custom web interface that guides participants to read and vividly imagine one of their cues, chosen randomly. Visit times and durations will be recorded.
Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT)
Participants will engage in ERT for 8 weeks, three times a day. Participants will receive three daily text messages. Each prompt will link to a custom web interface that guides participants to read and vividly imagine one of their cues, chosen randomly. Visit times and durations will be recorded.
Domain-specific episodic thinking
Content of the episodic thinking intervention will experiencing the symptoms of lung cancer during a broad range of personally meaningful, otherwise positive, events (e.g., social events, celebrations, spending times with friends and family).
Generalized episodic thinking
Content of the episodic thinking intervention will include a broad range of personally meaningful, positive, events (e.g., social events, celebrations, spending times with friends and family).
Locations (1)
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Roanoke, Virginia, United States