Anxiety Sensitivity and Smoking Variability Among Treatment Seeking Smokers

Abstract

Objectives Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is associated with poor smoking cessation outcomes. One reason may be that smokers with high AS smoke differently (i.e., to manage negative affect and uncomfortable bodily sensations) than other smokers, leading to stronger addiction (due to an affect/sensation based and thereby highly variable rather than a regular smoking routine). Thus, we examined the relationship between AS and smoking variability in a group of treatment-seeking smokers. Methods Participants (N = 136; 52.2% female; Mage = 44.19 years, SD = 11.29) were daily smokers with elevated AS (AS≥20 on the Anxiety Sensitivity Index 16-item at prescreen) recruited as part of a larger randomized controlled trial for smoking cessation. Most participants were Caucasian (73%), educated (with 76% attending some college), unmarried (73%), and employed full-time (56%). They smoked, on average, 17 cigarettes per day. Results Consistent with prediction, a regression analysis of baseline assessments and a longitudinal analysis with multilevel modeling (MLM) both showed higher AS was associated with greater variability in cigarettes smoked per day while controlling for gender, age, ethnicity, and income. Conclusions This finding encourages investigation of how AS might interact with clinical strategies using a fixed smoking taper as part of quit attempts.

Relationship of Anxiety and Depression with Respiratory Symptoms: Comparison between Depressed and Non-Depressed Smokers in Singapore

“…Higher anxiety sensitivity has been associated with increased lower respiratory symptoms and a greater risk of smoking relapse [33]. Smokers with respiratory symptoms who had heightened anxiety sensitivity were also more emotionally susceptible to somatic sensations and life stressors, which was possibly due to a dysfunctional cognitive–affective reaction to threatening situations [34], thereby contributing to negatively reinforced behavior such as continued smoking. The second interpretation is that respiratory symptoms cause or contribute to anxiety symptoms, and many studies have also supported this direction of the causality of the relationship.…”

A retrospective analysis of the comparative effectiveness of smoking cessation medication among individuals with mental illness in community‐based mental health and addictions treatment settings

“…paper. Studies have shown that individuals with anxiety disorders have higher nicotine dependence, more severe withdrawal symptoms, and experience greater cessation fatigue (i.e., being tired of making attempts to quit smoking) as compared to those without anxiety (Morissette, Tull, Gulliver, Kamholz, & Zimering, ; Powers et al., ; Tidey & Miller, ). In addition, the fact that our study sample provided self‐reports of their anxiety disorder diagnosis may affect the comparability of our results to those of other findings using standardized clinical interview schedules to define anxiety.…”

Effects of anxiety sensitivity reduction on smoking abstinence: An analysis from a panic prevention program.

“…pharmacological and psychosocial treatment; Zvolensky, Stewart, Vujanovic, Gavric, & Steeves, 2009) and unaided quit attempts (i.e., self-guided quit attempt; Marshall, Johnson, Bergman, Gibson, & Zvolensky, 2009). Other studies demonstrate that AS mediates the relation between emotional disorders and severity of smoking behavior (Olvera et al, 2015; Powers et al, in press; Zvolensky, Farris, Leventhal, & Schmidt, 2014; Zvolensky et al, in press). Importantly, smokers respond to AS reduction treatment after a single intervention session (Feldner, Zvolensky, Babson, Leen-Feldner, & Schmidt, 2008).…”