Less Received and Provided Social Support is Associated With Higher Quit Success in Smoker-Smoker Couples

Abstract

Background: Availability of social support has shown positive effects across health outcomes while enacted support has shown mixed effects. Smokers who perceived high support had better quit outcomes. However, if support came from a fellow smoker they were less likely to achieve abstinence. So far, there are few studies using truly dyadic designs. Therefore, the present study aims at examining the role of received and provided support in smoking couples applying a dyadic perspective. Methods: Overall, 170 smokers in 85 committed couples reported their smoking behavior as well as received and provided support in a questionnaire four weeks after a self-set quit attempt. Findings: Between-couple differences in received and provided support were associated with continuous abstinence four weeks after a self-set quit attempt. Specifically, less received and provided support predicted a higher probability of continuous abstinence for the couples one month after their self-set quit date. Discussion: Results do not confirm benefits of support in the context of smoking cessation in smoker-smoker couples. Further research should clarify the effectiveness of social support for smoking couples.