Psychosocial correlates of nicotine dependence among men and women in the U.S. naval services.

This study assessed the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of clinical criteria-based diagnoses of nicotine dependence in men and women in the U.S. naval services. Analyses were based on data from the 1995 Perceptions of Wellness and Readiness Assessment, a population-based self-report survey of 9,856 active-duty Navy and Marine Corps members worldwide, specifically focusing on a subsample of those who completed the telephone version of the Quick Diagnostic Interview Schedule (n = 782). Twenty-five percent of all telephone interview volunteers met diagnostic criteria for lifetime nicotine dependence, and 15% met criteria for nicotine dependence in the last year. There was no difference in nicotine dependence by job classification (traditional vs. nontraditional) among women. Women who were abused prior to entering the military were almost three times as likely to be nicotine dependent as those not abused. Men who had been exposed to combat or violence were twice as likely to be nicotine dependent as those not exposed.