A pilot examination of stress-related changes in impulsivity and risk taking as related to smoking status and cessation outcome in adolescents.

INTRODUCTION

Psychosocial stress and impulsivity are each associated with smoking in adolescents. There is also evidence that stress can increase impulsive responding, and impulsive adolescent smokers attempting cessation are at greater risk of relapse. We performed a pilot investigation to examine stress-induced changes in response inhibition, inattention, and risk taking as related to smoking status and posttreatment smoking abstinence.

METHODS

Twelve adolescent smokers participating in a smoking cessation intervention and 15 adolescent nonsmokers completed a 2-session protocol assessing stress-related change in response inhibition and inattention (on the Conners' Continuous Performance Test-II), risk taking (on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task), nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and self-reported stress.

RESULTS

At baseline, smokers had greater inattentive responding and risk taking when compared with nonsmokers. Stress exposure led to significant increases in stress, anger, and depression in all participants and also increased nicotine craving (on the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale item) and impulsive responding in smokers. After covarying for baseline differences in impulsivity/risk taking, smokers who were not abstinent at the end of treatment experienced greater stress-induced risk taking when compared with those who were abstinent.

CONCLUSIONS

In all, it appears that response inhibition and risk taking may be differentially altered by stress exposure in adolescent smokers and nonsmokers and that adolescent smoking cessation success may be associated with less risk taking in the face of stress.