An Anxiety Sensitivity Reduction Smoking-Cessation Program for Spanish-Speaking Smokers (Argentina) Michael J. Zvolensky, University of Houston and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Daniel Bogiaizian and Patricio López Salazar, Asociación Ayuda, Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Buenos Aires Samantha G. Farris and Jafar Bakhshaie, University of Houston The present study evaluated a Spanish-language version of an Anxiety Sensitivity Reduction Program for Smoking Cessation among a sample of daily adult smokers from Argentina (n = 6; M age = 49.4, SD = 15.43) in an open trial methodological design. To be eligible, each participant expressed a current desire to quit smoking and previous difficulties with anxiety/mood symptoms during past quit attempts (e.g., anxiety, stress, depression, irritability). Participants completed a baseline assessment and received eight 90-minute weekly group sessions. The study involved one doctoral-level and two graduate-level therapists. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks post-quit day. Smoking status was confirmed biochemically and via self-report at quit day and each follow-up assessment. The treatment yielded positive results in terms of attendance, positive smoking cessation outcome (5 out of 6 were abstinent at 12-week follow-up), and significant reductions in anxiety sensitivity. The results suggest potential clinical utility among Spanish-speaking smokers for an anxiety-sensitivity smoking cessation program in regard to cessation outcome. S MOKERS prone to psychiatric symptoms and conditions are a high-risk smoking subpopulation (Ziedonis et al., 2008). Among the various psychiatric symptoms and psychopathologies, depressive and anxiety symptoms and syndromes are highly prevalent in the general population and are comorbid with smoking (Leventhal, Ramsey, Brown, LaChance, & Kahler, 2008; Piper, Cook, Schlam, Jorenby, & Baker, 2011; Piper et al., 2010; Zvolensky, Bernstein, Yartz, McLeish, & Feldner, 2008). Among current smokers, negative emotional symptoms and disor- ders significantly increase risk of smoking cessation failure (Hall, Muñoz, & Reus, 1994; Hitsman, Borrelli, McChargue, Spring, & Niaura, 2003), heighten severity of tobacco withdrawal (Langdon et al., 2013; Leventhal et al., 2008), and contribute to maladaptive cognitive beliefs and cognitive-affective reactions to tobacco (Brandon, 1994; Peasley-Miklus, McLeish, Schmidt, & Zvolensky, 2012). For this reason, there is good reason to better understand and clinically target depression/anxiety symptoms and disor- ders in order to improve cessation outcome. Although still limited in overall scope (see Richards, Cohen, Morrell, Watson, & Low, 2013, for a review), specialized treatments targeting depression/anxiety symp- toms and disorders for smoking cessation have been developed (e.g., Feldner, Smith, Monson, & Zvolensky, 2013; Hertzberg, Moore, Feldman, & Beckham, 2001; MacPherson et al., 2010; McFall et al., 2010; McFall et al., 2005; Zvolensky, Lejuez, Kahler, & Brown, 2003). Yet, the results of these studies generally suggest rather modest improvements or even mixed results (e.g., Brown et al., 2007; Hitsman et al., 2003). Rather than focus primarily on depression/anxiety symptoms, others have suggested that there may be merit to identify and target transdiagnostic factors that are related to both anxiety and depression as well as other negative mood problems (e.g., anger) among smokers to facilitate cessation success (Zvolensky & Bernstein, 2005; Zvolensky, Schmidt, & Stewart, 2003). One promising line of inquiry in this domain has focused on the relations between anxiety sensitivity and smoking. Anxiety sensitivity is a transdiagnostic factor implicated in the development and maintenance of panic and other emotional disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disor- der; McNally, 2002; Taylor, 2003). This construct has been most commonly conceptualized as an individual difference factor related to sensitivity to aversive internal states of anxiety (Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, & McNally, 1986). Anxiety sensitivity is distinguishable empirically and theoretically from anxiety symptoms and other negative affect states (Rapee & Medoro, 1994; Zvolensky, Kotov, Antipova, & Keywords: South America (Argentina); smoking cessation; negative affect; anxiety sensitivity; treatment development 1077-7229/13/xxx-xxx$1.00/0 © 2013 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. CBPRA-00493; No of Pages 14: 4C Please cite this article as: Zvolensky et al., An Anxiety Sensitivity Reduction Smoking-Cessation Program for Spanish-Speaking Smokers (Argentina), Cognitive and Behavioral Practice (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2013.10.005 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Cognitive and Behavioral Practice xx (2013) xxx-xxx www.elsevier.com/locate/cabp