Impulsivity related personality traits and cigarette smoking in adults: A meta-analysis using the UPPS-P model of impulsivity and reward sensitivity

Abstract

Finding suggest that impulsivity is associated with an increased likelihood of being a smoker and greater nicotine dependence. Specific impulsivity-related traits differentially relate to smoking status and severity of nicotine dependence. Understanding the complexity of impulsivity-related traits in relation to smoking can help to identify potential smokers and could inform cessation treatment.

Commentary on Kristjansson et al. (2018): Caffeine use during early adolescence as a possible risk factor for initiation of smoking and alcohol use

“…Another potential shared risk factor, noted by the authors, is personality. This aligns with extensive research showing that personality is associated strongly with smoking and alcohol use , as well as caffeine intake . Most notable are the personality traits impulsiveness, sensation‐seeking and extraversion.…”

Investigating causal pathways between liability to ADHD and substance use, and liability to substance use and ADHD risk, using Mendelian randomization

“…Around 5.9-7.1% of children and adolescents and 5.0% of adults are thought to meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD 2 , and genetic studies support the notion that a clinical diagnosis represents the extreme end of a continuum of impulsivity and/or attention problems in the general population 3,4 . Both ADHD diagnosis and higher levels of impulsivity and attention problems are associated with higher levels of cigarette smoking 5,6 , cannabis use 7,8 , alcohol use 7,9 and caffeine consumption 10,11 . The exact nature of these associations is not fully understood, which hampers the development of evidence-based interventions and public health messages.…”

Making the connection between alcohol abuse and smoking

“…4 Damage to, and reduced activation of, the lateral OFC is associated with impulsive behaviour, possibly reflecting reduced sensitivity to not receiving an expected reward. 4,8 Impulsivity is a hallmark of smoking and alcohol use 5,6 and seems to predict both whether someone starts smoking and the severity of nicotine dependence. A meta-analysis found no association between sensitivity to rewards and smoking with either of these traits.…”

“…3 But dysfunctions in the OFC may contribute to depression, mania, drinking and smoking. [4][5][6][7] For instance, neuroimaging shows that certain cues, including images of food, activate neural reward circuits that include the OFC and ventral striatum. In heavy and disordered drinkers, alcohol cues activate the ventral striatum.…”