Cigarette Smoking and Personality Features

Abstract Investigators have reported that cigarette smoking is associated with behavioral disinhibition, novelty seeking, and diminished threat sensitivity. Methods. The prediction that smokers would obtain higher scores on measures of disinhibition, novelty seeking, behavioral activation, and related personality disorder symptoms, and lower scores on measures of harm avoidance, behavioral inhibition, and associated personality disorder features was tested. Cigarette smokers (n=75) were compared to non-smokers (n=77). Results. Smokers obtained significantly higher scores on measures of depressive symptoms, novelty seeking, and histrionic, borderline, passive-aggressive, and antisocial personality disorder symptoms, and lower scores on a measure of avoidant personality. Groups did not differ on measures of cluster A and other cluster C personality disorder symptoms, disinhibition, executive dysfunction, apathy, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and behavioral inhibition and activation. Conclusions. Findings lend partial, but weak, support to the notion that smokers are more likely to present with personality features associated with behavioral dyscontrol and novelty seeking.