BIOMAT Database Logo BIOMAT Database Logo

Gender differences in acute tobacco withdrawal: effects on subjective, cognitive, and physiological measures. 2007

Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Department of Behavioral Science, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, TX, USA. adam_leventhal@brown.edu

Gender differences in tobacco withdrawal are of considerable clinical importance, but research findings on this topic have been mixed. Methodological variation in samples sizes, experimental design, and measures across studies may explain the inconsistent results. The current study examined whether male (n = 101) and female (n = 102) smokers (> or =15 cigarettes/day) differed in abstinence-induced changes on a battery of self-report measures (withdrawal, affect, craving), cognitive performance tasks (attention, psychomotor performance), and physiological responses (heart rate, blood pressure, brain electroencephalogram). Participants attended 2 counterbalanced laboratory sessions, 1 following 12 hr of abstinence and the other following ad libitum smoking. Results showed that women reported greater abstinence-induced increases in negative affect, withdrawal-related distress, and urge to smoke to relieve withdrawal distress. In contrast, both genders reported similar abstinence-induced changes in positive affect and urge to smoke for pleasure. Men and women exhibited generally similar abstinence-induced changes in physiological and cognitive performance measures. In addition, gender did not moderate the association between withdrawal symptoms and baseline measures of smoking behavior and dependence. Abstinence-induced changes in withdrawal distress mediated the effect of gender on latency until the 1st cigarette of the day at trend levels ( p < .10). These findings suggest that there are qualitative gender differences in the acute tobacco withdrawal syndrome that may underlie gender-specific smoking patterns.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D011594 Psychometrics Assessment of psychological variables by the application of mathematical procedures. Psychometric
D011597 Psychomotor Performance The coordination of a sensory or ideational (cognitive) process and a motor activity. Perceptual Motor Performance,Sensory Motor Performance,Visual Motor Coordination,Coordination, Visual Motor,Coordinations, Visual Motor,Motor Coordination, Visual,Motor Coordinations, Visual,Motor Performance, Perceptual,Motor Performance, Sensory,Motor Performances, Perceptual,Motor Performances, Sensory,Perceptual Motor Performances,Performance, Perceptual Motor,Performance, Psychomotor,Performance, Sensory Motor,Performances, Perceptual Motor,Performances, Psychomotor,Performances, Sensory Motor,Psychomotor Performances,Sensory Motor Performances,Visual Motor Coordinations
D011600 Psychopharmacology The study of the effects of drugs on mental and behavioral activity.
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D001794 Blood Pressure PRESSURE of the BLOOD on the ARTERIES and other BLOOD VESSELS. Systolic Pressure,Diastolic Pressure,Pulse Pressure,Pressure, Blood,Pressure, Diastolic,Pressure, Pulse,Pressure, Systolic,Pressures, Systolic
D005260 Female Females
D006339 Heart Rate The number of times the HEART VENTRICLES contract per unit of time, usually per minute. Cardiac Rate,Chronotropism, Cardiac,Heart Rate Control,Heartbeat,Pulse Rate,Cardiac Chronotropy,Cardiac Chronotropism,Cardiac Rates,Chronotropy, Cardiac,Control, Heart Rate,Heart Rates,Heartbeats,Pulse Rates,Rate Control, Heart,Rate, Cardiac,Rate, Heart,Rate, Pulse
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

Related Publications

Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Characterization of tobacco withdrawal: physiological and subjective effects.
January 1985, NIDA research monograph,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Gender differences in response to nicotine replacement therapy: objective and subjective indexes of tobacco withdrawal.
May 1999, Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Physiological and subjective effects of acute cocaine withdrawal (crash) in rats.
August 1997, Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Clinical insights from research on gender differences in tobacco withdrawal.
October 2007, Brown University digest of addiction theory and application : DATA,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Effects of tobacco smoking and gender on interhemispheric cognitive function: performance and confidence measures.
October 1997, Behavioural pharmacology,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Gender Differences in Elderly With Subjective Cognitive Decline.
January 2018, Frontiers in aging neuroscience,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Acute effects of kava on measures of cognitive performance, physiological function and mood.
January 1993, Drug and alcohol review,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Gender differences in cognitive reserve: implication for subjective cognitive decline in women.
April 2022, Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Gender differences in the subjective effects of MDMA.
March 2001, Psychopharmacology,
Adam M Leventhal, and Andrew J Waters, and Susan Boyd, and Eric T Moolchan, and Caryn Lerman, and Wallace B Pickworth
Nicotine withdrawal in chippers and regular smokers: subjective and cognitive effects.
July 1995, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association,
Copied contents to your clipboard!