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The relationship between impaired decision-making, sensation seeking and readiness to change in cigarette smokers
H Harmsen1, G Bischof, A Brooks
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Research Group S:TEP, Medical University of Lübeck, and Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Karl Friedrich Fleming Hospital Schwerin, Federal Republic of Germany. hallo.heike.hl1@web.de
Objective:
The study investigated whether impaired decision-making as measured by the Gambling Task and Sensation Seeking, on one hand, and nicotine-dependence and readiness to change, on the other hand, show mutual influences in cigarette smokers.
Methods:
Cigarette smokers were classified as dependent or non-dependent smokers. Assessment included stages of change (RCQ), decisional balance (DBS), Sensation Seeking Scale Form-V (SSS-V), and performance on the Gambling Task (GT).
Results:
With the exception of a significant higher score in the SSS-V subscale Experience Seeking in dependent smokers, correlations between nicotine-dependence and cognitive features were not significant. The directions of the non-significant differences were not consistent. No significant relationship was found between the SSS-V and the GT, on one hand, and the readiness to change smoking behaviour, on the other hand.
Conclusions:
The results of the present study suggest that impaired performance on the GT and high scores in Sensation Seeking do not play an important role in nicotine-dependence and readiness to change smoking behaviour or vice versa.
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