A groundbreaking study published in Addiction has investigated the feasibility and acceptability of integrating smoking cessation treatment into routine psychological care for individuals with depression and anxiety.
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT) played a crucial role in recruiting participants for the study, ensuring a diverse and representative sample. Additionally, University of Oxford’s Professor Paul Aveyard from the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC) was a contributing author.
The research, led by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (OBRC) and Gemma M. J. Taylor from the University of Bristol, involved a multi-centre, randomized controlled trial across four NHS Trusts in England.
The study, titled “ESCAPE: intEgrating Smoking Cessation treatment As part of usual Psychological care for dEpression and anxiety,” aimed to assess whether combining smoking cessation support with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) would impact treatment completion rates and mental health outcomes. Participants included adult daily smokers receiving CBT for depression or anxiety, with the treatment group receiving up to 12 sessions of integrated smoking cessation support.
Key findings from the study revealed that integrating smoking cessation support did not negatively impact the completion rates of CBT for depression and anxiety. Moreover, the intervention group showed higher quit rates and no evidence of worsening mental health symptoms compared to the control group. The study highlights the potential benefits of offering smoking cessation treatment within psychological services, which could improve both physical and mental health outcomes for individuals with common mental illnesses.
For more details, you can access the full paper here.
