Personality Correlates Related to Tobacco Abstinence following Treatment

• Published in: International journal of psychiatry in medicine Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 59 - 74
• Main Authors: Hooten, W. Michael, Wolter, Troy D., Ames, Steven C., Hurt, Richard D., Vickers, Kristin S., Offord, Kenneth P., Hays, J. Taylor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2005; Baywood; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Abstinence; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Desintoxication. Drug withdrawal; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Illness and personality; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; Nicotine; Personality; Personality Disorders - diagnosis; Personality Disorders - epidemiology; Personality Inventory; Personality traits; Personality, behavior and health; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Sex Factors; Smoking cessation; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Tobacco Use Disorder - epidemiology; Tobacco Use Disorder - therapy; Treatment Refusal - statistics & numerical data; Treatments; nicotine dependence; personality; five-factor model; smoking; Human; Neuroticism; Poison withdrawal; Self evaluation; Treatment efficiency; Tobacco smoking; Personality; Abstinence; Tobacco; Mail inquiry; Treatment; Addiction; Dependence; Predictive factor; Comparative study; Nicotine
• ISSN: 0091-2174; 1541-3527
• DOI: 10.2190/N9F1-1R9G-6EDW-9BFL

Objective: The five-factor model of personality was used to describe the correlates of smoking abstinence. Methods: Following treatment in the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, the six month abstinence status was determined by self-report. Sixteen months to 2.4 years following the initial treatment evaluation, and 10 months to 1.9 years after the abstinence status was determined, 475 patients were mailed a Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Five-Factor Inventory questionnaire. Ninety-nine abstinent and 151 smoking patients returned a completed questionnaire. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that low scores on neuroticism and openness were associated with tobacco abstinence. In addition, high scores on neuroticism and low scores on agreeableness and conscientiousness were associated with predictors of poor outcome including greater number of cigarettes smoked per day, initiation of smoking prior to age 18, and a Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence score of ≥ 6. Conclusions: Personality characteristics as predictors of smoking abstinence following treatment warrant further investigation in prospective clinical trails. Treatment matching using personality profiling as a guide may be a valuable tool for improving abstinence rates following treatment for nicotine dependence.