Trying to stop smoking: effects of perceived addiction, attributions for failure and expectancy of success.

Reports the results of a postal questionnaire completed by 2,343 smokers (mean age 34.92 yrs) who had contacted a TV company for help with stopping smoking. Of these, 1,848 (78.9%) completed a follow-up questionnaire 1 yr later. This indicated that 797 had tried to stop, 709 had tried to cut down, and 164 had become abstinent. Analyses showed that the intention to try to stop smoking was dependent not only on the perceived health benefit but also on the Ss' confidence that they would succeed if they tried to stop. As predicted by B. Weiner's model of achievement motivation, those who attributed other smokers' failures at quitting to stable factors had lower expectancies of success, as had those who saw themselves as more addicted. When the follow-up data are considered, reported attempts at quitting were strongly related to previously declared intentions, and reported abstinence was related to previous confidence (expectancy of success) and perceived! addiction. There is no support for hypotheses concerning self-other differences in attribution, or defensive attribution, in Ss' attributions for their own failures at cessation.