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Table 1 Reasons for changes in smoking habits after admission – quotes from inpatients

From: Admission to a psychiatric unit and changes in tobacco smoking

A: Reasons for smoking more

Boredom:

"Boredom, especially between 12.15 and 5 o'clock when there's nothing else to do in the hospital; then after tea until visitors come it's mainly boredom" (m, 59); "Smoking gives you something to do" (f,32)

Socialising:

"I meet more people in the smoke room... I don't inhale so there's only a slight effect; it's more to do with socialising" (m, 38); "You go in the smoke room to talk to somebody and you end up putting a ciggy in your mouth" (f, 38)

Stress reduction

"My stress levels are up and I smoke to reduce them" (f, 22)

B: Reasons for smoking less

Limited, unpleasant smoking areas

"You can't just sit with everyone else together, you have to go to a separate room to smoke, you can't sit and watch TV whilst smoking" (f, 49); "It's not as convenient to smoke in here... sometimes it's uneasy in the smoke room, gets a bit claustrophobic in there" (f, 34)

Improved mental state

"I was very, very anxious before I came into hospital so I was smoking a lot more trying to calm me down" (m, 57)

  1. In brackets are m/f for male/female, and the patient's age in years.