Stress and arousal in sedative and stimulant cigarette smokers

Abstract

Self-reported feelings of stress and arousal were assessed in 18 sedative and 9 stimulant smokers, over a typical day of smoking. Prior to each cigarette, self-ratings of stress and arousal were recorded on a brief adjective check list. These self-ratings were then repeated following cigarette smoking. These diary data were split into four blocks to represent: first cigarette of the day, second quartile cigarette, third quartile cigarette, and last cigarette of the day. Analysis of variance revealed significant effects of smoking on both stress and arousal. Self-rated feelings of stress were significantly reduced following cigarette smoking (P<0.002); this was found with both subject groups and across all cigarette blocks. Cigarette smoking also led to increased feelings of arousal (P<0.01), although these changes in arousal differed between subject groups (drug × type-of-smoker interaction:P<0.03). Stimulant smokers showed higher levels of arousal after smoking, across all four cigarette blocks. Sedative smokers showed a slight increase in arousal only after their first cigarette. These findings were not as predicted by the arousal modulation theory of cigarette smoking, which suggests that changes in stress and arousal are interdependent. Instead they show that smoking affects stress and arousal in quite different ways. Stress and arousal should therefore be recognised as independent dimensions within smoking/nicotine research.