PACT

Partner Assisted Cessation Treatment

Partner Assisted Cessation Treatment (PACT) is a newly developed, couple-based smoking cessation intervention that integrates standard smoking cessation treatment with empirically based couple relationship education strategies to improve couple support processes. It was developed to promote the specific types of partner support that basic relationship science indicates are predictive of positive smoking cessation outcomes: (1) effective methods of seeking support; (2) effective support provision; and (3) couple problem-solving skills. These skills were integrated into gold-standard CBT for smoking cessation.

Consistent with NIH guidelines for developing behavioral therapies (Rounsaville et al., 2001), we conducted an initial intervention evaluation aimed to gather evidence regarding the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of PACT through a small randomized controlled trial (RCT). Smokers and their partners were randomly assigned to either: (1) PACT, the couple-based treatment that integrates relationship education strategies to build couple support-related communication skills into standard smoking cessation treatment or (2) a comparably intensive standard smoking cessation treatment (CBT + NRT).

Preliminary results, based on 38 couples who completed either PACT or CBT+NRT, are currently being prepared as a manuscript. Contrary to hypotheses, PACT did not lead to higher abstinence rates than CBT at 3-month follow-up (27% for CBT; 38% for PACT). However, PACT participants showed more adherence to the program (i.e., homework completion, session attendance, engagement), more supportive couple interactions, and were slower to relapse than CBT participants.

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