Acceptance and commitment therapy may help adults quit smoking
A trial review found higher quit rates after treatment and at short-term follow-up, but limited evidence quality reduces confidence in the findings.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
This abstract-based review suggests that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can improve quitting immediately after treatment and at short-term follow-up compared with pooled control interventions. However, the evidence had quality limitations, and comparison groups varied. The findings do not establish that ACT outperforms every other approach to stopping smoking.
The authors judged the evidence quality to be limited. The abstract does not define follow-up intervals, and results immediately after treatment varied substantially across studies.
What researchers found
Smoking cessation at short-term follow-up
The probability of quitting with ACT was 1.63 times that with pooled controls. This is a relative comparison, not an absolute quit rate or percentage-point increase. Short-term follow-up length was not defined.
What the therapy addresses
ACT encourages acceptance of the thoughts, feelings and physical experiences that accompany quitting. It also addresses avoidance and connects behavior changes with a person's reasons for stopping smoking, instead of trying to suppress those experiences.
Why the comparator matters
Short-term quitting improved compared with behavioral support. The reported longer-term advantages were against no treatment; those results therefore do not establish a longer-term advantage over active approaches that also aim to help people quit.
The original publication
Efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Fan J, Lei X, Zhang J et al.
Worldviews Evid Based Nurs · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41405478
- Record checked
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