Motivations to quit smoking and challenges faced during cessation among individuals with first episode psychosis in Singapore

AIMS: The prevalence of smoking has been noted to be higher among individuals with mental illness, particularly among those with schizophrenia and related psychosis than in the general population. The present paper sought to examine the motivations and challenges to quit smoking among first episode psychosis patients (N = 281) enrolled in the Early Psychosis Intervention Programme (EPIP) in Singapore. METHODS: Questionnaires were used to collect details on an individual's smoking status, cessation attempts, motivations to quit, and challenges to stop smoking. Using baseline data, multiple linear regressions were conducted to examine the socio‐demographic correlates of motivations and challenges of smoking cessation behaviour. RESULTS: Of the study sample, 59.4% reported to have never smoked while 39.9% were currently smoking or had attempted smoking. Health reasons and cost were the most highly endorsed motivations to stop smoking; whereas cravings, stress, and boredom were highly endorsed as challenges to stop smoking. Socio‐demographic factors such as age, educational level, and marital status were also found to be associated with the motivations to stop smoking and challenges faced during smoking cessation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study highlights the most highly endorsed motivations and challenges reported among individuals with first episode psychosis (FEP) in an Asian population. Given that the literature examining motivations and challenges to quit smoking has predominantly focused on the general population, results from the current study have implications for the formulation of smoking cessation programmes targeted at individuals with mental illness, particularly those with FEP.