Dg. Gilbert et Bo. Gilbert, PERSONALITY, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, AND NICOTINE RESPONSE AS MEDIATORS OF THE GENETICS OF SMOKING, Behavior genetics, 25(2), 1995, pp. 133-147
Individual differences in psychopathology, personality, and nicotine r
esponsivity and their biological bases are evaluated as mechanisms pot
entially mediating smoking heritability. Smokers are more likely to be
high in neurotic traits (e.g., depression, anxiety, anger) and in soc
ial alienation (psychoticism, impulsivity, unsocialized sensation-seek
ing, low conscientiousness, low agreeableness) and low in achievement/
socioeconomic status. Psychological and biological mechanisms putative
ly mediating these associations are reviewed. It is concluded that a n
umber of relatively indirect and complex processes, as well as more di
rect (e.g., self-medication for psychopathology, nicotine sensitivity)
, mediate the inheritance of smoking behavior.