These findings are significant because they illustrated a phenomenon that had, heretofore, rarely been studied—a subgroup of smokers who were unable to abstain for even a brief amount of time and who reported depressive symptoms and exhibited a lack of startle modulation by valence. It is yet unclear whether the nonclinical depression and insensitivity to emotional context found in never-quitters was a preexisting trait that manifested itself more prominently when never-quitters were challenged by a quit attempt, or a by-product resulting from never-quitters becoming disillusion about their ability to attain success in smoking abstinence. Future studies should clarify the role depression and affective insensitivity play in smoking cessation.
