An investigation of the relationship between identifying as a smoker and urges to smoke among young adult combustible cigarette smokers.

Identifying as a smoker and urges to smoke are 2 predictors of persistent combustible cigarette smoking. We investigated the relationship between them. Specifically, grounded in PRIME Theory (West & Brown, 2013), we investigated whether a smoker identity and urges to smoke predict each other over time independent of their relationships with smoking behavior. At 3 yearly time points, young adult combustible cigarette smokers (N = 286) completed assessments of endorsement and importance of identifying as a smoker as well as smoking behavior; during the subsequent week at the first 2 time points, participants repeatedly completed assessments of momentary smoking urge intensity and current social situation in randomly prompted ecological momentary assessments (EMA). Within time points, greater endorsement of identifying as a smoker predicted more intense momentary urges to smoke, particularly when in the presence of other people than when alone. Across time points, both elevated and elevating levels of smoker identity endorsement predicted increases in average smoking urge intensity; vice versa, both elevated and elevating levels of average smoking urge intensity predicted increases in smoker identity endorsement and importance. All relationships were independent of smoking behavior. These findings add to our understanding of persistent combustible cigarette smoking, as they indicate that a smoker identity and urges to smoke contribute to each other independent of their relationships with smoking behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).