Browsing by Author "Li, Yisheng"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Cognition and Craving During Smoking Cessation: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
    (Oxford University Press, 2014) Waters, Andrew J.; Szeto, Edwin H.; Wetter, David W.; Cinciripini, Paul M.; Robinson, Jason D.; Li, Yisheng
    Introduction: Some studies using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) have revealed an association between craving for cigarettes and relapse. It is therefore important to understand the correlates of craving during smoking cessation. Attentional bias to smoking cues is a potential correlate of craving, but it has not previously been assessed using EMA during smoking cessation. Methods: Smokers enrolled in a research smoking cessation study were offered the opportunity to take part in an EMA study. Volunteers carried around a personal digital assistant (PDA) for the first week of their quit attempt. They completed up to 4 random assessments (RAs) per day as well as assessments when they experienced a temptation to smoke and when they relapsed. Craving for cigarettes was assessed with a single item (1ﾖ7 scale). Attentional bias was assessed with a smoking Stroop task (a reaction time task) at every other assessment, as was self-reported attention to cigarettes. Results: Data were available from 119 participants. Across 882 assessments, participants exhibited a significant smoking Stroop effect. Linear mixed models revealed a significant between-subject association between craving and the smoking Stroop effect. Individuals with higher levels of craving exhibited greater attentional bias. The within-subject association was not significant. Similar results were obtained for the relationship between self-reported attention to cigarettes and attentional bias. Conclusions: Attentional bias can be assessed in the natural environment using EMA during smoking cessation, and attentional bias is a correlate of craving during the early stages of a quit attempt.
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    Dispositional Mindfulness Predicts Enhanced Smoking Cessation and Smoking Lapse Recovery
    (Springer, 2016) Heppner, Whitney L.; Spears, Claire Adams; Correa-Fernández, Virmarie; Castro, Yessenia; Li, Yisheng; Guo, Beibei; Reitzel, Lorraine R.; Vidrine, Jennifer Irvin; Mazas, Carlos A.; Cofta-Woerpel, Ludmila; Cinciripini, Paul M.; Ahluwalia, Jasjit S.; Wetter, David W.
    Background: Although mindfulness has been hypothesized to promote health behaviors, no research has examined how dispositional mindfulness might influence the process of smoking cessation. Purpose: The current study investigated dispositional mindfulness, smoking abstinence, and recovery from a lapse among African American smokers. Methods: Participants were 399 African Americans seeking smoking cessation treatment (treatments did not include any components related to mindfulness). Dispositional mindfulness and other psychosocial measures were obtained pre-quit; smoking abstinence was assessed 3 days, 31 days, and 26 weeks post-quit. Results: Individuals higher in dispositional mindfulness were more likely to quit smoking both initially and over time. Moreover, among individuals who had lapsed at day 3, those higher in mindfulness were more likely to recover abstinence by the later time points. The mindfulness-early abstinence association was mediated by lower negative affect, lower expectancies to regulate affect via smoking, and higher perceived social support. Conclusions: Results suggest that mindfulness might enhance smoking cessation among African American smokers by operating on mechanisms posited by prominent models of addiction.
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    Lower health literacy predicts smoking relapse among racially/ethnically diverse smokers with low socioeconomic status
    (BioMed Central, 2014) Stewart, Diana W.; Cano, Miguel Ángel; Correa-Fernández, Virmarie; Spears, Claire Adams; Li, Yisheng; Waters, Andrew J.; Wetter, David W.; Vidrine, Jennifer Irvin
    Background: Nearly half of U.S. adults have difficulties with health literacy (HL), which is defined as the ability to adequately obtain, process, and understand basic health information. Lower HL is associated with negative health behaviors and poor health outcomes. Racial/ethnic minorities and those with low socioeconomic status (SES) are disproportionately affected by poor HL. They also have higher smoking prevalence and more difficulty quitting smoking. Thus, lower HL may be uniquely associated with poorer cessation outcomes in this population. Methods: This study investigated the association between HL and smoking cessation outcomes among 200, low-SES, racially/ethnically diverse smokers enrolled in smoking cessation treatment. Logistic regression analyses adjusted for demographics (i.e., age, gender, race/ethnicity, relationship status), SES-related characteristics (i.e., education, income), and nicotine dependence were conducted to investigate associations between HL and smoking relapse at the end of treatment (3 weeks post quit day). Results: Results indicated that smokers with lower HL (score of
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    Mindfulness Predicts Lower Affective Volatility among African Americans During Smoking Cessation
    (American Psychological Association, 2014) Adams, Claire E.; Chen, Minxing; Guo, Lin; Lam, Cho Y.; Stewart, Diana W.; Correa-Fernández, Virmarie; Cano, Miguel A.; Heppner, Whitney L.; Vidrine, Jennifer Irvin; Li, Yisheng; Ahluwalia, Jasjit S.; Cinciripini, Paul M.; Wetter, David W.
    Recent research suggests that mindfulness benefits emotion regulation and smoking cessation. However, the mechanisms by which mindfulness affects emotional and behavioral functioning are unclear. One potential mechanism, lower affective volatility, has not been empirically tested during smoking cessation. This study examined longitudinal associations among mindfulness and emotional responding over the course of smoking cessation treatment among predominantly low-socioeconomic status (SES) African American smokers, who are at high risk for relapse to smoking and tobacco-related health disparities. Participants (N = 399, 51% female, mean age = 42, 48% with annual income <$10,000) completed a baseline measure of trait mindfulness. Negative affect, positive affect, and depressive symptoms were assessed at five time points during smoking cessation treatment (up to 31 days postquit). Volatility indices were calculated to quantify within-person instability of emotional symptoms over time. Over and above demographic characteristics, nicotine dependence, and abstinence status, greater baseline trait mindfulness predicted lower volatility of negative affect and depressive symptoms surrounding the quit attempt and up to 1 month postquit, ps < 0.05. Although volatility did not mediate the association between greater mindfulness and smoking cessation, these results are the first to show that mindfulness is linked to lower affective volatility (or greater stability) of negative emotions during the course of smoking cessation. The present study suggests that mindfulness is linked to greater emotional stability and augments the study of mindfulness in diverse populations. Future studies should examine the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on volatility and whether lower volatility explains effects of mindfulness-based treatments on smoking cessation.
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    Psychosocial Mechanisms Linking the Social Environment to Mental Health in African Americans
    (Public Library of Science, 2016) Mama, Scherezade K.; Li, Yisheng; Basen-Engquist, Karen; Lee, Rebecca E.; Thompson, Deborah; Wetter, David W.; Nguyen, Nga T.; Reitzel, Lorraine R.; McNeill, Lorna H.
    Resource-poor social environments predict poor health, but the mechanisms and processes linking the social environment to psychological health and well-being remain unclear. This study explored psychosocial mediators of the association between the social environment and mental health in African American adults. African American men and women (n = 1467) completed questionnaires on the social environment, psychosocial factors (stress, depressive symptoms, and racial discrimination), and mental health. Multiple-mediator models were used to assess direct and indirect effects of the social environment on mental health. Low social status in the community (p < .001) and U.S. (p < .001) and low social support (p < .001) were associated with poor mental health. Psychosocial factors significantly jointly mediated the relationship between the social environment and mental health in multiple-mediator models. Low social status and social support were associated with greater perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and perceived racial discrimination, which were associated with poor mental health. Results suggest the relationship between the social environment and mental health is mediated by psychosocial factors and revealed potential mechanisms through which social status and social support influence the mental health of African American men and women. Findings from this study provide insight into the differential effects of stress, depression and discrimination on mental health. Ecological approaches that aim to improve the social environment and psychosocial mediators may enhance health-related quality of life and reduce health disparities in African Americans.
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    Study protocol: a lifestyle intervention for African American and Hispanic prostate cancer survivors on active surveillance and their partners
    (Springer Nature, 2020) Cho, Dalnim; Basen-Engquist, Karen; Acquati, Chiara; Ma, Hilary; Pettaway, Curtis; Li, Yisheng; Diep, Cassandra S.; McNeill, Lorna H.
    Background: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in both African American and Hispanic men. Active surveillance is a treatment option for low- or very low-risk prostate cancer survivors, and lifestyle interventions have been found to reduce the disease progression and improve the quality of life for both survivors and their partners. To date, no lifestyle interventions that specifically target African American or Hispanic men and their partners exist. This protocol describes a study that tests the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial, a lifestyle intervention developed to enhance healthy lifestyle and quality of life among African American and Hispanic men on active surveillance and their partners. Methods: A mixed-method study, including a two-arm randomized controlled trial (n = 30 dyads in the intervention arm and n = 10 dyads in the control arm) and in-depth interviews, will be conducted. Intervention arm participants will receive bi-weekly health coaching calls (a total of 12 calls based on Motivational Interviewing), as well as physical activity-specific (e.g., power point slides, print materials about physical activity, and activity trackers for self-monitoring) and nutrition-specific education (e.g., two nutrition counseling sessions from a registered dietitian, print materials about nutrition, and food intake recording for self-monitoring) over 6?months. All participants will be assessed at baseline, month 3, and month 6. Blood will be collected at baseline and month 6 from the prostate cancer survivors. Finally, in-depth interviews will be conducted with subsamples (up to n = 15 dyads in the intervention arm and up to n = 5 dyads in the control arm) at baseline and months 3 and 6 to conduct a process evaluation and further refine the intervention. Discussion: If effective, the intervention may have a higher health impact compared with a typical lifestyle intervention targeting only survivors (or partners), as it improves both survivors� (tertiary prevention) and partners� health (primary prevention). Results from this study will provide important information regarding recruiting racial/ethnic minority cancer survivors and their partners. Lessons learned from this study will be used to apply for a large-scale grant to test the impact of the dyadic intervention in a fully powered sample.