Relationship between PTSD symptomatology and nicotine dependence severity in crime victims

Smoking rates are higher and cessation rates are lower among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to the general population, thus understanding the relationship between PTSD and nicotine dependence is important. In a sample of 213 participants with a crime-related trauma (109 with PTSD), the relationship between PTSD status, smoking status (smoker vs. non-smoker), substance abuse diagnosis (SUD), PTSD symptoms, and sex was assessed. SUD diagnosis was significantly related to smoking status, but PTSD symptomatology and sex were not. Among smokers (n = 117), increased nicotine dependence severity was associated with being male and with increased level of PTSD avoidance symptoms. Correlations indicated that PTSD avoidance and hyperarousal symptom clusters and total PTSD symptom scores were significantly related to nicotine dependence severity in males, while PTSD symptomatology in general did not correlate with dependence severity for females. The results suggest that level of PTSD symptomatology, particularly avoidance symptoms, may be important targets for smoking cessation treatment among male smokers who have experienced a traumatic event.