Psychological features of smokers

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Smoking tobacco is believed to be common among patients with psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and affective disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological symptoms of people without known psychiatric diseases who have freely decided to quit smoking. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed, and 124 healthy active-smokers (66 female) and 127 healthy non-smokers (61 female) were recruited. The symptom check list and Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) were used to assess psychological symptoms and nicotine addiction level. Smokers were divided into 3 groups: light smokers (0–9 cigarettes/d), moderate smokers (10–19 cigarettes/d), and heavy smokers (> 20 cigarettes/d). RESULTS: When subjects were compared by daily levels of cigarette consumption, somatic findings were more prominent in the mild smoker group (1.61 ± 0.72 vs 0.77 ± 0.56, P