Open AccessPersonality Characteristics in the Mid-Forties Predict Women's Smoking Cessation in Their Mid-Sixties
Author(s) -
Judith S. Brook,
Chenshu Zhang,
Elinor B. Balka,
Nathan Seltzer,
David W. Brook
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
psychological reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.645
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1558-691X
pISSN - 0033-2941
DOI - 10.2466/09.10.13.pr0.113x26z9
Subject(s) - psychology , logistic regression , impulsivity , personality , smoking cessation , sensation seeking , clinical psychology , resistance (ecology) , demography , social psychology , medicine , ecology , pathology , sociology , biology
This study examined whether personality characteristics measured when a woman is in her mid-40s can predict success in sustained smoking cessation 22 years later, when the woman is in her mid-60s. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted on data from a sample of 195 women (M ages 43 and 65, respectively), who were regular smokers and participated in a longitudinal study from 1983 to 2009. The results suggest that women who exhibited low self-control, high resistance to rules, impulsivity, and sensation seeking in their mid-40s were significantly less likely to succeed in quitting smoking for a period of 5 years or more by the time they reached their mid-60s. Addressing some personal characteristics in smoking cessation programs might enhance their effectiveness and success.