Associations between smoking status, beliefs, and comfort providing quitting support in the United States.

OBJECTIVE

Receiving positive support during smoking cessation from friends, family, or romantic partners is associated with abstinence. However, people may differ in willingness to provide such support. We aimed to investigate factors associated with comfort providing support among potential support providers.

METHODS

We used mixed methods to understand the current smoking status of participants, beliefs about smoking, and comfort with providing support for quitting. Participants (N = 196) were adults in the United States recruited using Prolific in April 2025. All participants knew someone who smoked. They reported comfort with providing support and completed an optional open-ended response about influences on their comfort.

RESULTS

Thematic analysis of written responses revealed five primary themes, including recipients' cessation-related motivation and effort and providers' smoking status. Compared to formerly smoking individuals, both currently smoking individuals (p < .01), and individuals who have never smoked (p < .01) reported less comfort providing support. Participants who reported closer relationships with an individual who smokes were more comfortable providing support (p = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that support providers' and support recipients' smoking behaviors influence comfort providing support. Participants generally felt more comfortable supporting someone with a clear motivation to quit. Among potential support providers, current smokers felt less comfortable providing support, whereas former smokers felt more comfortable.