322127
An Exploratory Study of Clinical and Counseling Psychology Doctoral Students Characteristics, Perceptions, and Intention to Address Tobacco with Future Clients
AIM: To estimate the prevalence of tobacco use, preparedness and intention to address tobacco cessation strategies with future clients and explore tobacco-use related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among doctoral psychology students in Kentucky.
METHODS: A cross sectional survey was e-mailed to clinical and counseling doctoral students attending APA accredited programs in Kentucky.
RESULTS: With a 22.7% response rate, more than 74% reported little to no education on tobacco cessation subject areas. More than 68% report “almost completely disagree” or “completely disagree” to feeling competent to counsel a smoker or offer tobacco cessation assistance. However, students reported intentions to assess future clients with a tobacco quit plan (76%), review progress toward quitting (56%), provide referrals to cessation services (56%) and assess every client for tobacco use (20%).
CONCLUSION: Doctoral student psychologists have high intentions for addressing tobacco use with their future clients, but little knowledge and low education/training to do so.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health educationAssessment of individual and community needs for health education
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related education
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the importance of tobacco cessation interventions among individuals with mental illness or severe mental illness.
Describe the lack of preparedness of clinical and counseling doctoral students to provide brief tobacco cessation interventions among their clients.
Describe the importance of providing brief tobacco cessation intervention training among clinical and counseling doctoral psychology students to prepare them for working with patients/clients.
Keyword(s): Mental Health, Tobacco Control
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I AM THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR FOR THIS PROJECT.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.