These were added to the final step with the dependence-related variables. Neither variable altered the association between maintenance and any of the predictors appreciably. Reported use of stop-smoking medications was independently associated with maintaining a quit attempt in license with Pfizer both Waves 4�C5 (OR [odds ratio] 1.38, p = .005) and in waves 5�C6 (OR = 1.49, p = .001). However, reported use of other forms of cessation help was not. We explored the possibility that the time elapsed between measuring the predictor variables and making a quit attempt was a potential moderator of the association between motivation and maintenance. For instance, it is plausible that more highly motivated people might attempt to quit sooner thereby having more time to relapse than those who were less motivated.

The outcome variable was defined as any attempt that lasted at least 1 month, regardless of smoking status at follow-up, beginning in the 6 months following assessment of the predictor variables (possible only from Wave 4 onwards). We essentially found the same patterns as above. In the Wave 4�C5 transition (n = 565), none of the core motivational variables were significantly associated with maintenance. In the Wave 5�C6 transition (n = 543), reported wanting to quit was negatively associated with maintenance after controlling for all variables (OR = 0.64, p = .025). Lifestyle outcome expectancy after quitting was negatively associated, remaining significant after controlling for demographic variables only (OR = 0.77, p = .041).

Still restricted to the 6 months following measurement, we increased the outcome variable to 6-month sustained abstinence and found essentially the same results. In the Wave 4�C5 analyses, want to quit was significantly predictive when controlling for demographics and all motivation-to-quit variables (OR = 0.78, p = .35) and borderline with the addition of the dependence variables (OR = 0.78, p = .052). In the Wave 5�C6 analyses, only want to quit (OR = 0.79, p = .020) and concerns over the financial cost (OR = 0.78, p = .018) were predictive, and only after controlling for demographics, the effects were becoming nonsignificant when other variables were added. Discussion The findings from this study confirm that factors that motivate smokers to make a quit attempt are very different from those involved in maintaining abstinence.

Thus, to suggest that all one needs to quit is to be motivated to do so is wrong. The reality is that one needs to be motivated to prompt action to stop smoking, but this is not sufficient in and of itself to ensure that one will stop smoking for any length of time. This is not an isolated finding, being consistent with other studies (e.g., Hyland et al., Cilengitide 2006; Zhou et al., 2009) where positive effects for predicting attempts reversed (e.g., Borland et al., 1991; Hyland et al.) or trended (e.g., West et al., 2001; Zhou et al.