Our third hypothesis, that craving is associated with negative affect, was supported across measurement type (Drobes & Tiffany, 1997; Carter & Tiffany, 2001). Retrospective WSWS Craving was associated with increased postquit COR EMG to unpleasant slides, CES-D, and PANAS NEG, and decreased PANAS POS, regardless of EOT group status. However, the results for in-session ratings were dependent on EOT group status, with relapsers and controls producing a significant association between WSWS Craving and in-session negative and positive mood ratings, compared to abstainers. In other words, increased craving at the beginning of the lab session was associated with a worsening in-session mood ratings for relapsers and controls, but not for abstainers. As both relapsers and controls presumably had the same opportunity, if not the same motivation, to smoke postsession, our in-session ratings findings that smokers in both groups experienced an association between craving and negative affect does not support previous findings that smoking availability leads to an association between craving and positive affect (Carter & Tiffany, 2001).
