Dimensions of personality and smoking behaviour

The study sample comprised 688 students of a Federal College of Education. Out of this population, there were 109 smokers producing a prevalence rate of 20%. The greatest percentage of smokers fell within the age range 20-29 years. Comparison of smokers and non-smokers showed no statistically significant differences in scores on the extraversion and neuroticism scales of the Eysenck personality questionnaire. Smokers, however, scored significantly higher than non-smokers on the psychoticism scale. An association was found between marital status and smoking behaviour. It is concluded that the association between smoking behaviour and some dimensions of personality such as extraversion and neuroticism reported in some studies may be due to a third variable, most likely a social one.