Discrimination, Mental Health, and Readiness to Quit Smoking.
Alexandria Jones-Patten, Sanghyuk S Shin, Dawn T Bounds and 1 others
PMID 37365813WHAT IT FOUND
Perceived discrimination was not associated with readiness to quit smoking in African Americans experiencing homelessness.
Depression and anxiety showed small indirect links, but the main effect was null. Smoking may serve as a coping mechanism for stress.
Key findings
01There was no significant association between everyday discrimination scores and readiness to quit cigarette smoking in the unadjusted analysis.
02After adjusting for education and heaviness of smoking, discrimination scores still had no association with readiness to quit.
03Depression and anxiety symptoms were positively associated with discrimination, and each showed a statistically significant indirect effect on readiness to quit, despite the total effect being non-significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample from a single shelter, limiting generalizability. The study design was cross-sectional, so it cannot establish causality. All data were self-reported, including smoking status and housing status, which may introduce bias. The study did not measure actual quit attempts, only readiness to quit. The sample was exclusively African American, so findings may not apply to other minority groups experiencing homelessness.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that discrimination has no impact on smoking cessation efforts. The null direct effect does not rule out complex indirect pathways through mental health, and the cross-sectional design cannot determine if discrimination causes stress that hinders quitting, or if other unmeasured factors are at play.