Psychological Satisfactions Derived from Smoking Cigarettes in Fifty-Seven Dental Patients

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to discover factors which would help dentists understand the psychology of smoking in some of their patients. Fifty-seven dental patients (thirty-seven men and twenty women) ages nineteen to twenty-five voluntarily attended two free five-day quit smoking clinics. Subjects were given the Horn Smoker's Self-Test which elicits information on six key factors relating to the psychological satisfactions derived from smoking: stimulation, handling, pleasurable relaxation, crutch, craving and habit. The three most important sources of perceived satisfactions for cigarette smokers were craving (77.1%), crutch (tension-reduction, 70.1%) and pleasurable relaxation (59.6%). Women tended to smoke more for tension reduction than men (85% to 62%, respectively) and slightly more for relaxation (65% to 56%). Most smokers reported a combination of the three main factors. In this study, smokers who were attracted to a quit-clinic were generally categorized as hardcore, negative affect types who may need maximal intervention programs and strategies.