Does quitting intention increase by perceived risk of smoking? The effects of negative outcome expectancy, future orientation and emotional support

Although the association between perceived risk and behavioral intention is well-established, the roles of negative outcome expectancy, future orientation and emotional support in the relationship between perceived risk of smoking and quitting intention is little known. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of perceived risk of smoking on quitting intention and examine the mediating role of negative outcome expectancy and the moderating role of future orientation and emotional support in these relationships. A total of 317 Chinese male smokers participated in the study and completed self-report questionnaires. The results indicated that the relationship between perceived risk of smoking and quitting intention was mediated partially by negative outcome expectancy. And when both of the scores of future orientation and emotional support were high, negative outcome expectancy mediated the relationship between perceived risk of smoking and quitting intention. These findings provided implications for smoking cessation interventions in the future. Different interventions should be designed for different populations of smokers.