Smoking Cessation Intervention for Smokers With Depression Receiving Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment

The proposed study will develop a Mindfulness Smartphone Intervention with Contingency Management (MSI-CM) for smoking cessation that can be readily available to depressed smokers receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment. The intervention will involve a series of brief mindfulness training that will be delivered via smartphone, that prompts patients to practice a mindfulness exercise multiple times a day while abstinent: 1) 10-days prior to their target quit date and 2) during the 2-week incentivized abstinence period (using CM) plus an additional 2 weeks (without CM) following their target quit date. We will use CM as an adjunct strategy to enhance the efficacy of mindfulness training due to its utility in producing short-term abstinence, so as to provide opportunities to practice mindfulness without smoking in one's natural environment. We will accomplish this objective by pursuing the following specific aims (in 2 phases): Phase 1: To develop the MSI-CM intervention intended to improve smoking cessation success among depressed smokers receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment. 1a. We will collaborate with TelASK, Inc. to develop a prototype of a smartphone intervention (MSI-CM). 1b. We will conduct preliminary pilot testing of MSI-CM, in an iterative fashion, with 10 smokers receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment for depression. Phase 2: To conduct a preliminary, randomized controlled trial (RCT) with depressed 60 smokers receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment.