PERSONALITY-CHARACTERISTICS OF USERS OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO COMPARED WITH CIGARETTE SMOKERS AND NONUSERS OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS

This study compares the personality characteristics of men who use smo keless tobacco (ST) products with smokers and non-users. The Eysenck P ersonality Questionnaire (EPQ), the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI), and the Anger Expression (AX) Scale were given to a heterogene ous sample of 755 men residing in Florida and Texas, consisting of 275 ST-Users, 272 smokers, and 208 non-users. Participants were screened to ensure adequate reading ability, and were tested individually at co nvenience stores, gun and boat shows, barbecue and truck-stop restaura nts, and a county fair. ST-Users and smokers had significantly higher mean EPQ Psychoticism and STPI Trait Anger scores than non-users. Smok ers also had significantly higher EPQ Neuroticism and Anger-In scores, and were lower in trait curiosity than non-users; the scores of the S T-Users on these measures fell between those of the smokers and non-us ers, and did not differ significantly from either group. Although no d ifferences in Extraversion were found between ST-Users, smokers and no n-users, Occasional ST-Users had significantly higher E scores than Re gular Users of smokeless tobacco products.