Social support and the transtheoretical model: Relationship of social support to smoking cessation stage, decisional balance, process use, and temptation.

This study investigated the relationship between social support and the transtheoretical model (TTM) constructs for smoking cessation. A sample of 190 adult smokers in a Veteran's Administration smoking cessation clinic completed measures of demographics, social support, smoking cessation stage of change, decisional balance, process use, and self-efficacy. Regression analyses revealed that social support was positively associated with both experiential and behavioral processes of change. A trend for higher social support with advancing stage was also detected. Social support was not related to temptation or decisional balance. When looking at specific sources of social support, family and peer support emerged as significant predictors, while significant-other support did not. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Ltd.