The experience of withdrawal, a coherent set of unpleasant symptoms that arise during periods of drug cessation, makes quitting smoking difficult. Research has identified several tobacco withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, negative affect, sleep disturbances, increased appetite, and reduced cognitive focus (Piper, 2015). Among these symptoms, scholarly attention has predominantly focused on craving and negative affect due to their strong associations with smoking behavior. Withdrawal-related increases in craving and negative affect diminish when people begin smoking again (Piper, 2015), leading smokers to return to smoking in order to alleviate their experience of withdrawal.  Identifying factors that exacerbate withdrawal symptoms is important for promoting continued smoking cessation during quit attempts. The present study tested the extent to which exposure to everyday  stressors—hassles such as work deadlines or arguments with loved ones—may trigger increases in negative affect, craving, and smoking.

We investigated the associations between stressor exposure and craving, stressor exposure and negative affect, along with stressor exposure and the likelihood of smoking. Drawing inspiration from decades of research on withdrawal and everyday stressors, we rested three hypotheses: following exposure to everyday stressors, as compared to no stressor exposure, smokers attempting to quit would show higher levels of negative affect (hypothesis 1), higher levels of craving (hypothesis 2), and would be more likely to smoke a cigarette (hypothesis 3). To test  these questions, we employed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol, to capture withdrawal experiences and smoking behaviors in individuals’ everyday environments. A total of 155 participants from the Philadelphia area engaged in the study through Life Data, a dedicated mobile application. The study was structured in two distinct phases: during the first phase, participants received 10 periodic prompts over a 10-day period, asking them to report on their negative emotions, cravings, life stressors, and smoking behaviors while maintaining their usual smoking habits. In the subsequent phase, participants were required to abstain from smoking for another 10 days while responding to the same set of inquiries 10 times daily.

For the purpose of this project, we focused exclusively on the 10 days during which participants were attempting to quit smoking, as this period better reflects the impact of everyday  stressors on withdrawal and smoking behavior. Analyzing the collected data using a multilevel model, we found that, in line with hypothesis 1,  craving was significantly higher in moments after participants reported stressor exposure (b=4.88, p<0.001) compared to after moments without stressors. Similarly, negative affect was elevated after the experience of stressors  (b=5.51, p<0.001) relative to moments following  no reported stressors, in line with hypothesis 2. Additionally, the likelihood of smoking a cigarette increased when stressor exposure was reported (b=0.53, p<0.001) versus during periods without stressors, in line with hypothesis 3. These results suggest that exposure to everyday stressors play a crucial role in withdrawal experiences and smoking behaviors. Therefore, developing strategies to help smokers manage everyday stressors could enhance cessation efforts and ultimately improve their overall quality of life.