Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 October 2014
The problems of relapse and recidivism have received increasing attention in smoking research over the past ten years. Researchers and clinicians alike have come to understand smoking as a complex process consisting of a number of stages. This paper reviews recent models and theories of the change process as well as those studies which have examined the determinants of the quitting process. Finally, the implications of these developments for smoking cessation strategies directed at the prevention of relapse are discussed.