Alcohol Use, Smoking Habits and the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire in Adolescent Australian Twins

Abstract

In 1988, questionnaires were received from 1,400 twin pairs (17% MZM, 23% MZF, 17% DZM, 19% DZF, 24% DZO) aged 11 to 18, registered with the Australian NHMRC Twin Registry. Twins reported independently on themselves and on the perceived behaviour of their parents, siblings and friends. For smoking and for drinking in the previous month, the prevalence was modelled as a logistic function of age, sex, perceived smoking or drinking behaviour of family and friends, and the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (JEPQ) scales. Strenghts of association were: family behaviour, odds ratio (OR) ≤2; Extraversion and Psychoticism, interquartile OR ≈ 1.6; behaviour of friend, OR ≈ 3 to 6. Twin associations were represented by odds ratios. For smoking they were 16 in MZ and 7 in DZ same-sex pairs, and 3 in DZO pairs. Although the former is consistent with genetic factors determining adolescent smoking behaviour, the reduced association in DZO pairs and strong association with smoking by friends argue to the contrary. For drinking, twin odds ratios were 11 in MZM, MZF and DZF pairs, and 4 in DZM and DZO pairs, consistent with genetic factors determining alcohol use in male but not female, adolescents. Twin odds ratios were not influenced by adjustment for the JEPQ scales; this does not support the hypothesis that genetic factors which determine personality also determine smoking or drinking behaviour during adolescence.

Um estudo comparativo entre características de personalidade de universitários fumantes, ex-fumantes e não-fumantes

“…The comparison between results of different studies on the matter still presents some controversies. 7,16,20,23,28,38 Some researchers consider that the association between smoking and extraversion have been decreasing, maybe due to changes in the way how the smoking habit has been seen in the last decades. Smoking has been considered an undesirable habit in many countries.…”

“…39,41 However, the most recent literature is still controversial about that association. 7,16,17,20,28,33,43 Several reasons for such divergences are provided. Parkes, 44 for example, says that interactions between N and E, and between N and P, could underlie inconsistent findings.…”

“…16,26,27 However, other works did not confirm, or confirmed only partially, such associations. 7,20,28 The association between smoking and psychoticism (P) has been shown in several studies carried out lately, 16,17,27,28 however, the mechanisms responsible for the associations between personality and smoking have not been elucidated. There is a number of different hypotheses on the issue.…”

Does smoking among friends explain apparent genetic effects on current smoking in adolescence and young adulthood?

“…The procedures for recruiting the sample into wave 1 have been described previously (Hopper et al, 1992;White et al, 2003). In brief, during 1988, questionnaires were mailed to adolescent twins (then aged 9 -19 years) registered with the Australian Twin Register via their parents, and completed questionnaires were received from 2863 twins, of whom 1417 were pairs, representing a 97% pairwise response.…”

Características psicológicas associadas ao comportamento de fumar tabaco

“…Nevertheless, the association between tobacco consumption and psychoticism is more consistent and has been confirmed through numerous studies. (12,18,19) There are also numerous studies in the literature that have focused on other approaches. There is strong evidence of an association between tobacco consumption and a personality factor characterized as the need to experience stimulating sensations (sensation seeking).…”