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theses

Smoking and panic disorder (PD) are highly comorbid and their combination is associated with greater panic symptoms and worse smoking outcomes. It has been posited that smoking may be an overlearned automatized response to panic relevant distress among smokers with PD. Here smoking is negatively reinforced, via relief of nicotine withdrawal symptoms that may be associated with panic. Over time, these processes may contribute to the development of a set of beliefs and expectancies about smoking that may place smokers with PD at greater risk for greater dependence and difficulty quitting. In order to break down this cycle, research may benefit from identifying underlying and malleable vulnerabilities that may in part contribute to over-learned beliefs about smoking. Emotion regulation (ER), the extent to which one is aware and clear of their emotions as well as their ability to modulate emotional responding, is one relevant vulnerability within this framework that is positively associated with smoking beliefs and panic psychopathology. It is possible that smokers with PD who are not able to regulate emotional states may more readily rely upon smoking to manage affective distress, thereby developing corresponding smoking motives and outcome expectancies. However, to date, no research has investigated the role of ER in the relation between PD and smoking cognitions among daily cigarette smokers. In the current study, the mediating role of difficulty in ER in the relation between PD status and smoking cognitions was examined among 74 daily smokers (39.2%, n=29, diagnosed with PD). Findings indicate that PD status is positively associated with habitual, addictive, and negative affect reduction smoking motives as well as negative reinforcement and negative personal consequence smoking expectancies through difficulties in ER. These results contribute to the understanding of underlying psychological mechanism of persistent smoking behaviors in this population. Interventions that develop and shape ER skills in smokers with PD may help break down negative reinforcement oriented smoking behavior in smokers with PD helping to reduce use and promote cessation.

ETD_7099

M.S.

Includes bibliographical references

by Min-Jeong Yang

doi:10.7282/T3X0697M

ETD graduate

The author owns the copyright to this work.