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Patient experience of smoking lapse and relapse back to smoking

First published: 29 March 2019 | Last updated: 20 May 2019

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Dr Caitlin Notley

Dr Caitlin Notley is a current SSA Research Fellow, based at the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia. With an expertise in qualitative methods, and specifically qualitative studies alongside randomised controlled trials, her research background in addictions has focused on opiate substitution treatment, treatment for alcohol dependence and substance misuse amongst young people with emergent signs of severe mental health difficulties. Her current programme of work is in the field of tobacco smoking relapse prevention. As part of her fellowship she has led a qualitative study alongside an HTA funded trial and recently completed a qualitative systematic review synthesising studies reporting on post-partum women’s experience of smoking relapse. Her current and future work is focused on relapse prevention for particularly vulnerable and at risk groups (including postpartum women).

Griffith Edwards SSA Academic Fellowship Awardee:

Patient experience of smoking lapse and relapse back to smoking

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Report Author

Dr Caitlin Notley

Professor of Addiction Sciences


Dr Caitlin Notley was successful in securing funding from the SSA for their first ever Post-Doctoral Fellowship post. She began a five year programme of work in May 2013, focusing on tobacco smoking relapse prevention. This work is a public health priority as most people who manage to successfully quit smoking in the short term will relapse back to smoking within 12 months. There are currently no effective interventions to prevent smoking relapse [1], either in the general population or amongst specific at risk populations, such as postpartum women [2]. Dr Notley’s mixed methods programme of work explores the phenomenon of smoking relapse and will develop an intervention to support women to stay abstinent from smoking postpartum.

As part of her fellowship Dr Notley has led and completed two linked research studies:

  • SHARPISH Q – Qualitative study of Self-help and Relapse Prevention in Smoking. This study collected qualitative process evaluation data alongside an HTA funded trial of a self-help relapse prevention intervention. The RCT was a randomised study (n=1407) exploring educational booklets for the specific purpose of preventing relapse to smoking. Process evaluation and qualitative investigation explored patient reported experiences of using the self-help materials, focusing on the response of individuals to the intervention being tested. Dr Notley completed and has widely disseminated the trial process evaluation findings and is undertaking further analytical work on patient experience of smoking lapse and relapse.
  • PReSeRVE – Postpartum Smoking Relapse Prevention Qualitative Systematic Review. This review synthesised patient reported barriers and facilitators for smoking relapse prevention and was published in Addiction: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.13062/abstract.

Dr Notley has been successful in securing additional external funding from Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council to lead two further linked studies:

  • ECtra Study (E Cigarette Trajectories) Real world experiences of using e-cigarettes for avoiding relapse to smoking: success or failure. A qualitative study. (Notley, C, Dawkins, L, Holland, R).
  • Preventing Return to Smoking Postpartum (PReS Study) – Development of a complex intervention to sustain smoking cessation in postpartum women. (Notley, C, Ussher, M, Bauld, L, Holland, R, Naughton, F, Hardeman, W).

SSA fellowship funding has supported Dr Notley to lead and develop these interlinked research projects, and has provided her with opportunities for national and international collaboration with other research centres. The funding has enabled Dr Notley to develop her methodological expertise in qualitative research methods and systematic reviewing, through involvement with a supportive network of SSA academics.

[1] Hajek P, Stead LF, West R, Jarvis M, Lancaster T. Relapse prevention interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online) 2009(1):CD003999.
[2] Agboola S, McNeill A, Coleman T, Leonardi Bee J. A systematic review of the effectiveness of smoking relapse prevention interventions for abstinent smokers. Addiction. 2010;105(8):1362-80.

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