Affective style among smokers - Understanding anxiety sensitivity, emotional reactivity, and distress tolerance using biological challenge

The present investigation evaluated affective style in terms of anxiety sen sitivity, emotional reactivity, and distress tolerance in heavy smokers. Sp ecifically, heavy smokers (greater than or equal to 20 cigarettes per day) were partitioned into those who were able to quit for at least 7 days (n=10 ) and those who were able to quit for less than 7 days (n=12). All particip ants completed measures of anxiety sensitivity and maximum breath-holding d uration and then were exposed to a 20% carbon dioxide-enriched air challeng e. Results indicated that heavy smokers who had not been able to remain abs tinent from smoking for at least 1 week during a quit attempt demonstrated significantly greater cognitive-affective reactivity to the challenge relat ive to their counterparts but did not differ at a physiological level of an alysis. Contrary to our hypotheses, neither anxiety sensitivity scores nor maximum breath-holding duration significantly differed between the groups. These findings are discussed in relation to better understanding affective style among heavy smokers. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.