Effectiveness of Therapeutic Intervention of Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) on Cigarette Dependency

The aim of the present study was investigating the effectiveness of Cognitive Bias Modification (Attention and Approach Bias to Cigarette)to reduce the cigarette dependence in smokers. A randomized control group design, with pretest-posttest and two follow-ups, was applied. The study population included all of the male smokers in the Summer of 2016 in Gorgan city. A number of 60 eligible adult smokers were selected according to a specific inclusion and exclusion criteria of the research and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. For assessing the variables, the Tasks for Assessment Implicit Cognitions (Approach-Avoidance Task, Attentional-Bias Assessment, and Implicit-Association Task), and, the Fagerstrom Questionnaire for Assessment of Cigarette Dependence were administered to the two groups. The experimental group then received 10 sessions (twice weekly) of training in Implicit Cognitions (Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) and Attentional-Bias Modification (ABM), whereas the control group (placebo) received an intervention-like activity. A Multivariate Analysis of Covariance showed significant differences between the two groups in Fagerstrom, Questionnaire, the Approach-Avoidance Task and the Attention-Bias Modification, in posttest and two follow up stages. However, there was not a significant difference in the Implicit-Association Task between groups. It could be concluded that the Cognitive-Bias Modification effectively reduces the cigarette dependency in adults, through modification of Approach-Avoidance Task and Attentional-Bias Assessment, which is highly recommended for smoking cessation interventions.