Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. To whom correspondence should be directed: W. Research demonstrates robust associations among posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD , exposure to assaultive violence i.
Whether exposure to assaultive violence confers risk for cigarette smoking over and above the effects of PTSD and non-assaultive traumatic events e. Results revealed that multiple exposure to assaultive violence at Wave 1 was a consistent and robust prospective predictor of cigarette smoking at Waves 2 and 3. By contrast, PTSD diagnoses and non-assaultive traumatic event exposures at Wave 1 only predicted cigarette smoking at Wave 2, but not at Wave 3. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder PTSD is an anxiety disorder diagnosed at least one month following a traumatic event and characterized by intrusive re-experiencing of a traumatic event, avoidance of trauma-related cues, and physiological hyperarousal symptoms APA, A growing body of research suggests substantial comorbidity between PTSD and cigarette smoking Beckham et al.
By contrast, the prevalence of cigarette smoking is at least twice as high among adults and adolescents with PTSD Acierno et al. While the rates of smoking are clearly elevated among PTSD populations, whether this elevation is due to potentially traumatic event 1 PTE exposure independently, PTSD diagnoses independently, or both is not clear. Evidence in support of the unique effect of PTSD diagnoses on cigarette smoking comes from a prospective study showing that PTSD diagnoses predicted later onset of nicotine dependence controlling for traumatic event exposure Breslau et al.
Similarly, a recent study of trauma-exposed daily smokers found that symptoms of PTSD were positively correlated with self-reported smoking as a means to regulate negative affect Feldner et al.
