The role of invisible social control for dual-smoker couples’ joint quit attempt

Abstract

Background: According to the dual-effects model social control is expected to be beneficial for smoking cessation but to have emotional costs at the same time. Recent research suggests that the most effective control is, however, unnoticed by the receiver (i.e., invisible). Therefore, this study aimed at examining invisible social control in dual-smoker couples applying a dyadic approach. Methods: Overall, 85 heterosexual dual-smoker couples reported in daily diaries for 22 consecutive days their smoking behavior (daily number of cigarettes smoked), positive and negative affect, as well as invisible (i.e., provided minus received) social control after a joint quit attempt. Findings: Dyadic multilevel analyses showed at the between-person level, higher individual mean levels of invisible social control were associated with fewer smoked cigarettes, less positive affect and more negative affect in both partners. Discussion: Although control was invisible to receivers, results are still in line with the assumptions of the dual-effects model of social control. Future research should clarify under what conditions visible or invisible social control unfolds positive effects on people’s health behavior and affect in dyads.