Use of Technological Advances to Prevent Smoking Relapse Among Smokers With PTSD (QUIT4EVER)

May 14, 2026 updated by: Duke University
The primary goal of the study is to evaluate the use of a new smart phone application in preventing relapse to smoking among people with PTSD. The technology intervention will combine a mobile system to reward non-smoking, smoking cessation counseling, smoking cessation medications, and use of the smart phone app. The primary aim is to evaluate how effective this intervention is in preventing smoking relapse compared to another intervention that does not include the app.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The primary goal of the current study will be to evaluate the use of a new smart phone application (app; Stay Quit Coach) in preventing relapse to smoking among individuals with PTSD. The enhanced technology intervention will combine mobile contingency management (mCM), guideline-based smoking cessation counseling, bupropion and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and use of the Stay Quit Coach. For this study, we will propose a clinical trial with a two-group design in which 20 smokers with PTSD will be randomized to either:

QUIT4EVER, an intervention that combines guideline-based smoking cessation counseling, bupropion and NRT, mCM and Stay Quit Coach.

COMBINED CONTACT CONTROL (CCC) an intervention that is identical to QUIT4EVER except Stay Quit Coach will not be included. The CCC controls for compensation, monitoring, time and attention effects.

Specific aims are to:

AIM 1: evaluate the efficacy of QUIT4EVER on rates of abstinence from cigarettes (assessed with multiple measures including bioverified abstinence) during short and long term abstinence (measured at 3 and 6 months).

Hypothesis 1: QUIT4EVER will be associated with increased long term abstinence (self-reported and bio-verified prolonged abstinence at the 3 and 6 month follow-up).

AIM 2: assess the impact of QUIT4EVER on counseling treatment completion and medication adherence.

Hypothesis 2. Increased abstinence associated with QUIT4EVER will be partially mediated by increased telephone counseling treatment completion and greater medication adherence.

AIM 3: calculate the relative cost-effectiveness of the QUIT4EVER intervention in quality adjusted life years (QALY).

Hypothesis 3: QUIT4EVER based treatment will result in greater cost-effectiveness compared to the control condition as measured by the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio.

Overall, results of this study could lead to a highly efficient, effective, and easily disseminated treatment method for reducing smoking among smokers with PTSD and other psychiatric disorders.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

15

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27706
        • Duke University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Meets criteria for current PTSD;
  2. Has current smoking status of at least 10 cigarettes per day (verified with breath carbon monoxide measurement);
  3. Has been smoking for at least 1 year;
  4. Is aged 18 to 70;
  5. Can speak and write current fluent conversation English; and
  6. Is willing to make a smoking cessation attempt.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Is pregnant;
  2. Has diagnosis, based on DSM-IV criteria, of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, current psychotic symptoms, delusional disorder, current (not in remission) substance use disorder, and/or current manic episode;
  3. Will not be stable on medications for the study period;
  4. Has history of myocardial infarction in past 6 months;
  5. Uses any other forms of nicotine such as cigars, pipes, or chewing tobacco with unwillingness to stop use during study period; or
  6. Is currently imprisoned.
  7. Note: Participants may be excluded or asked to refrain from taking certain study medications if they have a seizure disorder, uncontrolled diabetes, an eating disorder, or current or past cirrhosis or hepatitis.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: QUIT4Ever
QUIT4EVER is an intervention that combines 4 guideline-based smoking cessation counseling sessions, bupropion and nicotine replacement therapy, mobile contingency management, and the smart-phone application Stay Quit Coach.
Drug: Bupropion
All participants who are medically eligible will be prescribed bupropion, which they will start two weeks prior to their quit day. Dosage will be 150 mg/daily for days 1-7 and 300 mg/daily (administered in two daily doses) until the 3-month follow-up.
Other Names:
  • Zyban, Wellbutrin
Drug: nicotine replacement therapy
Participants will be prescribed NRT patch and one nicotine rescue method (e.g., nicotine gum, lozenge, inhaler) for use during the post-quit phase of the study. Participants will be given the choice between nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, or nicotine nasal spray, and will be instructed to use the rescue method as needed to reduce cigarette cravings
Other Names:
  • nicotine gum, patch, inhaler, or lozenge
Other: Smoking cessation counseling
Participants will receive four 20-minute smoking cessation counseling sessions and a participant manual. The four sessions are based on standard cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques shown to be efficacious for smoking cessation.
Behavioral: mobile contingency management
Participants will be asked to provide video recordings of themselves taking carbon monoxide readings in order to confirm smoking abstinence. Participants are asked to upload these videos to the study's secured server, and are provided monetary reward for videos that suggest smoking abstinence.
Other Names:
  • mCM
Other: Stay Quit Coach
Stay Quit Coach is a smart phone application that serves as a source of readily available support and information for adults who are already in treatment to quit smoking and to help them stay quit after treatment. The app guides user in creating tailored plans that include their personal reasons for quitting, interactive tools to help users cope with urges to smoke, motivational messages, support contacts to help users stay smoke free and how to address lapses. Participants assigned to this condition will be asked to use Stay Quit Coach from Session 2 through the 6-month follow-up.
Other Names:
  • smart phone app
Active Comparator: Control Contact Condition
This intervention combines 4 guideline-based smoking cessation counseling sessions, bupropion and nicotine replacement therapy, and mobile contingency management.
Drug: Bupropion
All participants who are medically eligible will be prescribed bupropion, which they will start two weeks prior to their quit day. Dosage will be 150 mg/daily for days 1-7 and 300 mg/daily (administered in two daily doses) until the 3-month follow-up.
Other Names:
  • Zyban, Wellbutrin
Drug: nicotine replacement therapy
Participants will be prescribed NRT patch and one nicotine rescue method (e.g., nicotine gum, lozenge, inhaler) for use during the post-quit phase of the study. Participants will be given the choice between nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, or nicotine nasal spray, and will be instructed to use the rescue method as needed to reduce cigarette cravings
Other Names:
  • nicotine gum, patch, inhaler, or lozenge
Other: Smoking cessation counseling
Participants will receive four 20-minute smoking cessation counseling sessions and a participant manual. The four sessions are based on standard cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques shown to be efficacious for smoking cessation.
Behavioral: mobile contingency management
Participants will be asked to provide video recordings of themselves taking carbon monoxide readings in order to confirm smoking abstinence. Participants are asked to upload these videos to the study's secured server, and are provided monetary reward for videos that suggest smoking abstinence.
Other Names:
  • mCM

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
smoking, self-report
Time Frame: 6 months follow-up
Participants' self-report of smoking in the past seven days will be measured at the end of the treatment intervention, and at 3 and 6-month follow-up contacts.
6 months follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
saliva cotinine
Time Frame: 6 months
For participants reporting smoking abstinence at 3 and 6-months post treatment follow-ups, we will bio-verify smoking abstinence by collecting saliva samples that will be used to determine salivary cotinine levels.
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Duke University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jean C. Beckham, Ph.D., Duke University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

December 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 15, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 15, 2013

First Posted (Estimated)

November 21, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 14, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Pro00048990

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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