Baseline Individual Differences Research Articles

Alcohol Consumption and Violent Offending: Findings From a Longitudinal Study on Korean Youth from Mid to Late Adolescence

Although past research highlights a close relationship between alcohol and crime, its role as a static (i.e., stable) and dynamic (i.e., changing) risk factor of violent delinquency has been less studied. Cross-lagged dynamic panel models were employed to address this issue based on a longitudinal Korean adolescent sample. Despite the significant independent effects of baseline individual differences in alcohol use, its impact on violence was no longer statistically significant when accounting for within-individual changes in alcohol consumption. However, we also found interaction effects between baseline and within-individual changes in alcohol consumption; youth who consume more alcohol at earlier ages and engage in more alcohol use over time are more likely to engage in violence. Findings stress the importance of studying static and dynamic factors and their interaction to provide a greater understanding of violent delinquency. Limitations and implications for policy and practices are discussed.

Social Network Negativity and Physical Activity: New Longitudinal Evidence for Young and Older Adults 2015-2018

ABSTRACT Purpose: Physical activity (PA) has considerable public health benefits. Positive aspects of the interpersonal environment are known to affect PA, yet few studies have investigated whether negative dimensions also influence PA. This study examines the link between changing social network negativity and PA, net of stable confounding characteristics of persons and their environments. Method: Polling respondents in the San Francisco Bay Area over three waves (2015–2018), the UCNets project provides a panel study of social networks and health for two cohorts of adults. Respondents were recruited through stratified random address sampling, and supplemental sampling was conducted through Facebook advertising and referral. With weights, the sample is approximately representative of Californians aged 21–30 and 50–70. Personal social networks were measured using multiple name-generating questions. Fixed effects ordered logistic regression models provide parameter estimates. Results: Younger adults experience significant decreases in PA when network negativity increases, while changes in other network characteristics (e.g. support, size) did not significantly predict changes in PA. No corresponding association was found for older adults. Results are net of baseline covariate levels, stable social and individual differences, and select time-varying characteristics of persons and their environments. Conclusion: Leveraging longitudinal data from two cohorts of adults, this study extends understanding on interpersonal environments and PA by considering the social costs embedded in social networks. This is the first study to investigate how changes in network negativity pattern PA change. Interventions that help young adults resolve or manage interpersonal conflicts may have the benefit of helping to promote healthy lifestyle choices.

Reducing the stickiness of negative memory retrieval through positive memory training in adolescents

Background and objectivesIndividuals at risk for depression exhibit a decreased ability to disengage from negative memory retrieval during times of mental distress, partly because they have difficulty retrieving positive memories to repair sad mood. In this study, we tested whether this persistent tendency for negative memory retrieval could be reduced in adolescents through repeated practice to retrieve positive autobiographical memories, namely Positive Memory Specificity Training (PMST). Further, we examined the impact of this intervention on secondary outcomes, including depressive symptoms, emotion regulation strategies, and fear of positive emotions. MethodsAdolescents (n = 68) between 16 and 18 years old were randomly allocated to either PMST or bogus control training. Persistent negative memory retrieval was assessed following the training using a behavioral decision-making task (Emotional Reversal Learning Task). Additionally, participants completed self-report measurements (e.g., depressive symptoms) before and two weeks after the training. ResultsWe found preliminary supportive evidence for a significant training effect such that adolescents following PMST showed less persistence in negative memory retrieval compared to those in the control group. Only for anhedonia a significant training effect was found, indicating a possible adverse effect of the intervention. LimitationsThe primary outcome was assessed only at post-intervention to prevent a potential learning effect due to repeated measurements. We cannot exclude the possibility that baseline individual differences contaminated our results. To examine possible adverse effects of PMST, larger sample are needed. ConclusionsPMST may help to reduce persistent negative memory retrieval in adolescents. Recommendations for future studies are addressed.

Multivariate associations between dopamine receptor availability and risky investment decision-making across adulthood.

Enhancing dopamine increases financial risk taking across adulthood but it is unclear whether baseline individual differences in dopamine function are related to risky financial decisions. Here, thirty-five healthy adults completed an incentive-compatible risky investment decision task and a PET scan at rest using [11C]FLB457 to assess dopamine D2-like receptor availability. Participants made choices between a safe asset (bond) and a risky asset (stock) with either an expected value less than the bond ("bad stock") or expected value greater than the bond ("good stock"). Five measures of behavior (choice inflexibility, risk seeking, suboptimal investment) and beliefs (absolute error, optimism) were computed and D2-like binding potential was extracted from four brain regions of interest (midbrain, amygdala, anterior cingulate, insula). We used canonical correlation analysis to evaluate multivariate associations between decision-making and dopamine function controlling for age. Decomposition of the first dimension (r = 0.76) revealed that the strongest associations were between measures of choice inflexibility, incorrect choice, optimism, amygdala binding potential, and age. Follow-up univariate analyses revealed that amygdala binding potential and age were both independently associated with choice inflexibility. The findings suggest that individual differences in dopamine function may be associated with financial risk taking in healthy adults.

Daily fluctuations in social status, self-esteem, and clinically relevant emotions: Testing hierometer theory and social rank theory at a within-person level.

Grounded in hierometer theory and social rank theory, this research examined how within-person fluctuations in social status relate to within-person fluctuations in self-esteem and several clinically relevant emotions. Both hierometer theory and social rank theory postulate that particular psychological mechanisms help individuals to navigate social hierarchies adaptively. However, hierometer theory emphasizes self-esteem, whereas social rank theory emphasizes emotions-specifically, depression, anxiety, and shame. We conducted a 10-day diary study and analyzed the data using multilevel modeling. Participants (N=345) completed daily measures of their social status, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, shame, and guilt. On days when their status was higher, participants reported higher self-esteem and lower depression, anxiety, and shame. On days when their self-esteem was higher, participants reported lower depression, anxiety, and shame. These patterns persisted after controlling for baseline individual differences. Furthermore, multilevel mediation analyses indicated that daily self-esteem mediated the links between daily status, and, individually, daily depression, anxiety, and shame, but not guilt. Supporting hierometer theory and social rank theory, self-esteem, and the clinically relevant emotions (except for guilt) appear to serve a status-tracking function. Self-esteem plays a more primary role, accounting for the link between status and depression, anxiety, and shame.

A Machine Learning Approach to Personalize Computerized Cognitive Training Interventions.

Executive functions are a class of cognitive processes critical for purposeful goal-directed behavior. Cognitive training is the adequate stimulation of executive functions and has been extensively studied and applied for more than 20 years. However, there is still a lack of solid consensus in the scientific community about its potential to elicit consistent improvements in untrained domains. Individual differences are considered one of the most important factors of inconsistent reports on cognitive training benefits, as differences in cognitive functioning are both genetic and context-dependent, and might be affected by age and socioeconomic status. We here present a proof of concept based on the hypothesis that baseline individual differences among subjects would provide valuable information to predict the individual effectiveness of a cognitive training intervention. With a dataset from an investigation in which 73 6-year-olds trained their executive functions using an online software with a fixed protocol, freely available at www.matemarote.org.ar, we trained a support vector classifier that successfully predicted (average accuracy = 0.67, AUC = 0.707) whether a child would improve, or not, after the cognitive stimulation, using baseline individual differences as features. We also performed a permutation feature importance analysis that suggested that all features contribute equally to the model's performance. In the long term, this results might allow us to design better training strategies for those players who are less likely to benefit from the current training protocols in order to maximize the stimulation for each child.

Does Intensive Mindfulness Training Strengthen Sustained Attention? Examining Individual Differences in Mind Wandering during the Sustained Attention to Response Task

Mindfulness training (MT) has been shown to benefit sustained attention and mind wandering. Yet, few studies have examined whether benefits differ as a function of individual differences in mind wandering. The sustained attention to response task (SART) measured task accuracy (A′), response time variability (response time intraindividual coefficient of variation, ICV), and self-reported mind wandering in participants before (T1) and after (T2) a 1-month MT retreat (n = 56), as well as in a control group (n = 32) who received no MT. Only the retreat group demonstrated increased A′ and reduced mind wandering, but no change in ICV, from T1 to T2. Retreat participants demonstrated reduced ICV compared to the control group only when considering individual differences in mind wandering such that retreat participants with higher levels of mind wandering at T1 demonstrated greater benefits to ICV over time. These findings suggest MT may benefit sustained attention, as seen in changes on both objective and subjective measures, and that considering baseline individual differences may increase our understanding of MT’s benefits to sustained attention.

Predictors of vaginal penetration in women with Provoked Vestibulodynia

This study examined whether time, treatment type, baseline individual differences, and treatment satisfaction affected the vaginal intercourse trajectories of women with Provoked Vestibulodynia (PVD) before and after psychological treatment. Women (N = 130) who received CBT or MBCT completed questionnaires prior to and 2-4 weeks, 6-, and 12-months following treatment. The odds of women engaging in vaginal penetration increased by 31% at each assessment. Baseline individual differences and treatment satisfaction predicted maintenance of or re-engagement in vaginal penetration at post-treatment. Findings suggest that women who refrain from vaginal intercourse after treatment differ from women who continue or resume this activity.

An Exploratory Study on the Relations Between Mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Intervention Outcomes

We explored whether baseline individual differences in mindfulness related to changes in mindfulness and emotional outcomes, following a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). Self-reported and behavioral mindfulness, as measured with a breath counting tool, and self-reported emotional outcomes were assessed in fifty community participants, previous to being randomly allocated to a group MBI (or to a waiting list control condition). At post-intervention, participants initially allocated in the control condition started group MBI training and a 3-month follow-up was available for the full sample. MBI increased self-reported and behavioral mindfulness both from pre- to post-intervention (p < .001, d ranging from 1.16 to 2.11) and from pre-intervention to follow-up (p < .001, d ranging from 0.97 to − 1.87), as well as reduced distress and perseverative thinking, and increased well-being (p < .001, d ranging from 2.16 to 2.22 and from 2.12 to 2.43, from pre- to post-intervention and to follow-up, respectively). Lower baseline mindfulness was associated with higher increase in mindfulness indexes following MBI (p < .001), while baseline mindfulness measures did not predict emotional outcomes neither at post-intervention nor at follow-up. Higher baseline psychological distress and perseverative thinking and lower psychological well-being were related, respectively, to greater reductions in emotional symptoms and a higher increase in well-being. Although participants with lower baseline mindfulness showed greater increase in mindfulness than their higher counterparts, the more the emotional symptoms and the lower the well-being at pre-intervention, the more benefit could be gained from an MBI irrespective of baseline mindfulness.

Examining Subgroups of Depression and Alcohol Misuse in Emerging Adults During University: a Replication and Extension Study

Alcohol misuse and depression are highly comorbid. Self-medication theory posits that depressed individuals use alcohol to reduce negative emotions. Research suggests that the co-pattern of depression and alcohol misuse is not uniform, and that emerging adults transitioning out of university can be differentiated into subgroups based on their co-patterns. We aimed to replicate and extend this study with emerging adults during university by examining whether baseline individual differences predicted subgroup membership. Undergraduates (N = 300) completed four waves of self-reports at 6-month intervals over 18-months. Parallel process latent class growth modeling supported three classes: Class 1, the “high-risk comorbid” group, had high stable depression and high stable alcohol misuse (n = 28). Class 2, the “moderate-risk depression-only group” had high stable depression but low decreasing alcohol misuse (n = 87). Class 3, the “low-risk normative” group, had low stable depression and low decreasing alcohol misuse (n = 185). Multinomial regressions showed that male sex, higher hopelessness, impulsivity, and anxiety sensitivity, and higher coping-with-depression and enhancement drinking motives, differentiated Class 1 from Class 3. Higher impulsivity and lower hopelessness, and higher enhancement motives, differentiated Class 1 from Class 2. Higher hopelessness, and higher coping-with-depression and conformity motives, differentiated Class 2 from Class 3. We utilized a subclinical sample and a short follow-up period. Emerging adults display differing co-patterns of depression and alcohol misuse over time during university, including both high-, moderate-, and low-risk subgroups. Our results provide novel evidence subgroups that can be distinguished based on sex, drinking motives, and personality.

The ups and downs of social life: Within-person variations in daily status and inclusion differentially predict self-regard and interpersonal behavior.

Grounded in sociometer theory and hierometer theory, the current research examined, for the first time, how within-person fluctuations in people's status and inclusion relate to their self-regard and interpersonal behavior. We conducted a 10-day diary study and analyzed the data using multilevel modeling. Participants (N=415) completed daily measures of their status, inclusion, self-esteem, narcissism, assertiveness, and affiliativeness. On days when both their status and inclusion were higher, participants reported higher self-esteem, but only on days when their status was higher did they report higher narcissism. Furthermore, on days when their self-esteem was higher, participants behaved more assertively and more affiliatively, but only on days when their narcissism was higher, did they behave more assertively. These patterns persisted after controlling for baseline individual differences in all constructs. Self-esteem, moreover, mediated the links between daily status and assertiveness, and between daily inclusion and affiliativeness; narcissism, in contrast, mediated the link between daily status and assertiveness only. This research replicates at the within-person level empirical links previously found at the between-person level. The results suggest that narcissism operates chiefly as a hierometer (tracking status and regulating assertiveness), whereas self-esteem additionally operates as a sociometer (also tracking inclusion and regulating affiliativeness).

Response heterogeneity to home-based restorative cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis: An exploratory study

BackgroundGrowing evidence supports the efficacy of restorative cognitive training in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), but the effects vary across individuals. Differences in treatment efficacy may be related to baseline individual differences. We investigated clinical characteristics and MRI variables to predict response to a previously validated approach to home-based restorative cognitive training. MethodsIn a single-arm repeated measures study, 51 PwMS completed a 12-week at-home restorative cognitive training program called BrainHQ, shown to be effective in a placebo-controlled clinical trial. Baseline demographic, clinical, neuropsychological, and brain MRI factors were captured and the effects of treatment were quantified with Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Also measured were indices of treatment compliance. Regression modeling was employed to identify the factors associated with greatest SDMT improvement. ResultsAs a group, patients improved significantly after training: mean SDMT improving from 49.6 ± 14.7 to 52.6 ± 15.6 (t = 3.91, p<0.001). Greater SDMT improvement correlated positively with treatment exposure (r = 0.38, p = 0.007). Increased post-rehabilitation improvement on SDMT was predicted by baseline relapsing-remitting course (β=-0.34, p = 0.017), higher trait Conscientiousness-Orderliness (β=0.29, p = 0.040), and higher baseline gray matter volume (GMV; β=0.31, p = 0.030). ConclusionThe study was designed to explore the variables that predict favorable outcome in a home-based application of a validated restorative cognitive training program. We find good outcomes are most likely in patients with higher trait Conscientiousness-Orderliness, and relapsing-remitting course. The same was found for individuals with higher GMV. Future work in larger cohorts is needed to support these findings and to investigate the unique needs of individuals according to baseline factors.

Does Anthropomorphism of Dogs Affect Pain Perception in Animal-Assisted Interventions? An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the effects of anthropomorphism of a therapy dog on pain perception during an animal-assisted intervention. Participants were 32 college women who were randomly assigned to the anthropomorphism condition or the control condition. All participants engaged in a pretest cold pressor task to measure base-line individual differences in pain tolerance and perceptions of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness. After completing this task, participants in the anthropomorphism group engaged in a task intended to prime them to view a therapy dog anthropomorphically. Specifically, they rated photos of dogs on a series of humanlike traits (e.g., “this dog would be a good listener”). Participants in the control condition rated photos of dogs on a series of canine traits (e.g., “this dog would make a good watchdog”). After this experimental manipulation, participants engaged in a second cold pressor task in the presence of a therapy dog and the therapy dog handler. We hypothesized that participants in the anthropomorphism group would demonstrate greater pain tolerance and report lower levels of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness during the second cold pressor task than participants in the control group. Results provide partial support for these hypotheses. Participants in the anthropomorphism group reported lower posttest pain intensity than participants in the control group. In addition, they demonstrated greater posttest pain tolerance than participants in the control group—but only under conditions of medium or high pretest pain tolerance. The two groups did not differ with respect to posttest pain unpleasantness. The results of this exploratory study provide preliminary evidence that prompting individuals to view a therapy dog anthropomorphically may augment their experience of pain relief from a therapy dog visit.

Does executive function moderate the relation between momentary affective and physical states and subsequent dietary lapse? An EMA investigation.

The study explored whether baseline individual differences in executive function (EF) affect the relation between elevations in internal states and subsequent likelihood of lapsing from a dietary prescription. Participants were 189 adults with overweight/obesity in a behavioral weight loss treatment who completed a neuropsychological EF task at intake and a 2-week EMA protocol measuring internal states and dietary lapses at start of treatment. Generalized estimating equations found relations between momentary elevations in tiredness (b = .06, p = .01) and deprivation (b = .06, p = .047) and subsequent likelihood of lapsing were more robust for participants with lower EF, whereas the relation between momentary elevations in boredom and subsequent likelihood of lapsing (b = .04, p = .03) was more robust for participants with higher EF. Results provide support for EF impacting the relation between elevations in internal states and likelihood of dietary lapse, informing the development of personalized behavioral weight loss treatments.

Time-varying social support and time to death in the cardiovascular health study.

There is a consensus that social connectedness is integral for a long, healthy life. However, studies of social support and survival have primarily relied on baseline social support measures, potentially missing the effects of fluctuations of perceived support over time. This is especially important for older adults who experience increased changes in disability. This study examined whether among older adults time-varying perceived social support was associated with time to death (main effect model of support) and whether time-varying disability was a modifier (stress-buffering model of support). Gender and marital status were also examined as modifiers. Older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study (N = 5,201) completed self- report measures of demographics and psychological health and clinical risk factors for mortality at baseline (1989-1990). Perceived social support and disability were measured from baseline through Wave 11 (1998-1999). Cox regression of time to death with time-varying covariates was performed. Time-varying as well as baseline-only perceived social support was associated with greater survival in the unadjusted models but not after adjustment. Gender, marital status, and time-varying disability were not significant modifiers. In contrast with the previously reported association between baseline individual differences in perceived social support and time to death, older adults' baseline-only and fluctuating perceptions of perceived support over time were not associated with time to death after adjustment for other clinical physical and psychological risk factors. Research is needed to identify other relationship factors that may be more informative as time-varying predictors of health and longevity in large longitudinal data sets. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognitive reappraisal moderates the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use over time in post-9/11 U.S. military veterans

BackgroundRates of comorbid alcohol use disorder (AUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are increasing among post-9/11 veterans, and emotion regulation problems have been identified as a feature of both disorders. However, no studies to date have explored how individual differences in emotion regulation may moderate the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use. We evaluated how two core emotion regulation strategies – one adaptive (i.e., cognitive reappraisal) and one maladaptive (i.e., expressive suppression) are related to PTSD symptoms and alcohol use over one-year. MethodsA total of 71 post-9/11 veterans (12 female, 59 male) completed a baseline screening and at least two follow-up assessments over the course of 12 months which included measures of emotion regulation, PTSD symptoms, and alcohol use. A mixed growth model was utilized to determine if changes in PTSD symptoms covaried with alcohol use over time and whether this relation was moderated by frequency of use of emotion regulation strategies. ResultsIn general, higher PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with greater alcohol use, but cognitive reappraisal moderated this relationship. Specifically, at low cognitive reappraisal, greater PTSD symptoms were associated with greater alcohol use. At high cognitive reappraisal, there was no significant association between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use. ConclusionsFindings from the present study suggest that baseline individual differences in cognitive reappraisal influence the relation between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use. For post-9/11 veterans, high levels of cognitive reappraisal may serve as a protective factor against ongoing alcohol use.

Value Reappraisal as a Conceptual Model for Task-Value Interventions

ABSTRACTWe discuss task-value interventions as one type of relevance intervention and propose a process model of value reappraisal whereby task-value interventions elicit cognitive-affective responses that lead to attitude change and in turn affect academic outcomes. The model incorporates a metacognitive component showing that students can intentionally self-regulate their subjective task values. Two potential moderators of this process are proposed: baseline individual differences and classroom-level factors. We review evidence for the proposed relationships in the model and identify gaps in the literature. Drawing from models of persuasion and self-regulation, we discuss theoretical foundations of the value-reappraisal model and propose value-reappraisal strategies involved in the modification of subjective task values and reasons for (or against) task engagement. We also outline implications for designing task-value interventions and future research directions. The value-reappraisal model could help inform the continued development of task-value interventions and explain intervention effects.

Emotion regulation related neural predictors of cognitive behavioral therapy response in social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by aberrant prefrontal activity during reappraisal, an adaptive cognitive approach aimed at downregulating the automatic response evoked by a negative event. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is first-line psychotherapy for SAD, however, many remain symptomatic after treatment indicating baseline individual differences in neurofunctional activity may factor into CBT outcome. An emotion regulation strategy practiced in CBT is cognitive restructuring, a proxy for reappraisal. Therefore, neural response during reappraisal may serve as a brain-based predictor of CBT success. Prior to 12weeks of individual CBT, 34 patients with SAD completed a validated emotion regulation task during fMRI. Task instructions included ‘Reappraise,’ that is, use a cognitive approach to reduce affective state to a negative image, which was contrasted with looking at a negative image (‘Look’). Regression results for Reappraise (vs. Look) revealed greater reduction in symptom severity was predicted by less pre-CBT activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Regarding predictive validity, DLPFC significantly classified responder status. Post-hoc analysis revealed DLPFC activity, but not demographic data, baseline clinical measures, or reappraisal-related affective state during fMRI, significantly accounted for the variance in symptom reduction. Findings indicate patients with SAD are more likely to benefit from CBT if there is less pre-treatment DLPFC recruitment, a region strongly implicated in emotion regulation. Patients with reduced baseline frontal activation when reappraising negative stimuli may be especially helped by explicit cognitive interventions. Further research is necessary to establish DLPFC as a stable brain-based marker of treatment outcome.

Acute alcohol effects on set-shifting and its moderation by baseline individual differences: a latent variable analysis.

To compare the acute effects of alcohol on set-shifting task performance (relative to sober baseline performance) during ascending and descending limb breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), as well as possible moderation of these effects by baseline individual differences. Shifting performance was tested during an initial baseline and a subsequent drinking session, during which participants were assigned randomly to one of three beverage conditions (alcohol, placebo or control) and one of two BrAC limb conditions [ascending and descending (A/D) or descending-only (D-only)]. A human experimental laboratory on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, MO, USA. A total of 222 moderate-drinking adults (ages 21-30years) recruited from Columbia, MO and tested between 2010 and 2013. The outcome measure was performance on set-shifting tasks under the different beverage and limb conditions. Shifting performance assessed at baseline was a key moderator. Although performance improved across sessions, this improvement was reduced in the alcohol compared with no-alcohol groups (post-drink latent mean comparison across groups, all Ps≤0.05), and this effect was more pronounced in individuals with lower pre-drink performance (comparison of pre- to post-drink path coefficients across groups, all Ps≤0.05). In the alcohol group, performance was better on descending compared with ascending limb (P≤0.001), but descending limb performance did not differ across the A/D and D-only groups. Practising tasks before drinking moderates the acute effects of alcohol on the ability to switch between tasks. Greater impairment in shifting ability on descending compared with ascending breath alcohol concentration is not related to task practice.

Repeated measures latent class analysis of daily smoking in three smoking cessation studies

BackgroundPerson-centered approaches to the study of behavior change, such as repeated measures latent class analysis (RMLCA), can be used to identify patterns of change and link these to later behavior change outcomes. MethodsDaily smoking status data from three smoking cessation studies (N=287, N=334, and N=403) were submitted to RMLCA to identify latent classes of smokers based on patterns of abstinence across the first 27days of a quit attempt. Three-month biochemically verified abstinence rates were compared among latent classes with particular patterns of smoking across days. Pharmacotherapy variables and baseline individual differences were added as covariates of latent class membership. ResultsResults of separate and pooled analyses supported a five-class solution that replicated across studies. Latent classes included a large class that achieved immediate stable abstinence, a smaller class of cessation failures, and three classes with partial abstinence that increased, decreased, or remained stable over time. Three-month point-prevalence abstinence rates varied among the latent classes, with 38–55% abstinent among early quitters, 3–20% abstinent among those who smoked intermittently throughout the first 27days, and fewer than 5% abstinent in the classes marked by little or delayed change in smoking. High-dose nicotine patch and bupropion promoted membership in abstinent classes. Demographics, nicotine dependence, and craving were related to latent class in multiple studies and pooled analyses. ConclusionsWe identified five patterns of smoking behavior in the first weeks of a smoking cessation attempt. These patterns are robust across multiple studies and are related to later point-prevalence abstinence rates.