Childhood abuse and cigarette smoking: Examining motivation, withdrawal, and tobacco cessation

Introduction: Those with a history of childhood abuse are more likely to smoke cigarettes than those without such a history. We compared nicotine dependence, withdrawal, motivation, quit attempts, and quit success between smokers with and without abuse history and/or current serious psychological distress (SPD). Methods: We analyzed data from a two-wave (14-month follow-up), national survey of adult cigarette smokers (n=751). Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse were examined separately, and were further categorized based on whether SPD was absent or present. Withdrawal symptoms were assessed among those who tried to quit during the study (n=368). We calculated frequencies and means and tested for significant differences using Chi-Square analyses and ANOVA. When omnibus tests were significant, we examined pair-wise comparisons, adjusting for multiple comparisons. Results: At baseline, smokers with any history of abuse and SPD were more motivated to quit than those without either (p<0.05). Those with childhood physical abuse and current SPD (69.4%) were more likely to try to quit than those without abuse or SPD (48.2%; p<0.05). Among attempters, those with a history of any abuse and SPD reported more severe withdrawal symptoms than those without abuse or SPD (p<0.05). Those with childhood physical abuse and SPD were less likely to quit than those without physical abuse or SPD (9.3% vs. 24.4%, p<0.05). Conclusions: Compared to those without a history of abuse or SPD, smokers positive for both are more motivated to quit, and more likely to try to quit. However, severe withdrawal symptoms may reduce the likelihood of quitting.