Parul, Parul and Joseph, Bindu and Datta, Sunil and Desousa, Avinash and Rahman, Muhammad Aziz (2026) Attitudes, self-efficacy, and practice of psychiatrists to provide smoking cessation support among people with serious mental illness (SMI). BMC Psychiatry, 26 (1).

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Abstract

Background: People with serious mental illness (SMI) are significantly more likely to smoke, leading to higher rates of chronic illness and premature death. Despite the dire need for smoking cessation interventions in this group, psychiatrists often face challenges in integrating cessation support into their practice. Aim: This study aimed to explore psychiatristsâ attitudes, self-efficacy, and practices for smoking cessation support among people with SMI. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among psychiatrists in India. Psychiatristsâ attitudes, self-efficacy, and practices for smoking cessation among people with SMI were assessed. Linear regression was applied to identify factors associated with psychiatristsâ attitudes toward smoking cessation, while logistic regression was applied to identify factors associated with self-efficacy and practices with adjusting confounding variables. Result: Among 302 psychiatrists, the mean age was 39 years (± 12.2), with 50 being males. Psychiatristsâ attitudes conveyed a tendency for task priority and time commitment while performing smoking cessation among people with SMI and higher self-efficacy regarding smoking cessation. In terms of practice, psychiatrists conveyed challenges associated with implementing, assisting, and arranging components of the WHO 5 Aâs. Psychiatrists who were working in both private and government sectors (AOR: 2.30, 95 CI: 1.15â4.61) and married (AOR: 3.60, 95 CI: 1.284-7.40) were associated with high self-efficacy, while psychiatrists who were over 40 years old (AOR = 0.17, 95 CI: 0.07â0.38) showcased lower engagement in WHO 5 Aâs practices. Conclusion: The study identified attitudes, self-efficacy and practices of psychiatrists related to smoking cessation among people with SMI. Programs need to be developed to address the gaps and issues related to smoking cessation among psychiatrists in India. Policies focusing on integrating cessation in mental health settings need to be directed to enhance practices for people with SMI. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. © The Author(s) 2026.

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