Anxiety symptoms and anxiety sensitivity in relation to cigarette dependence, perceived barriers for smoking cessation and quit problems among adult Latinx smokers

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is associated with adverse physical and mental health among Latinx adults in the United States. The present investigation sought to explore the main and interactive effects of anxiety symptoms and anxiety sensitivity in relation to cigarette dependence, perceived barriers for smoking cessation, and severity of problems experienced when quitting among adult Latinx smokers. Participants included 338 Latinx adult daily cigarette smokers (M age = 35.53 years; SD = 8.65; age range 18–61; 37.3% female). Results indicated that anxiety symptoms were associated with greater cigarette dependence, severity of problems when quitting, and perceived barriers for smoking cessation (effect size range: 2%−3% of variance), whereas anxiety sensitivity was related to severity of problems when quitting and perceived barriers for smoking cessation (effect size range: 2%−3% of variance). There was also a statistically significant interaction between anxiety sensitivity and anxiety symptoms for cigarette dependence; anxiety was related to cigarette dependence for Latinx smokers with higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, but not for those with lower levels of anxiety sensitivity. Overall, the present findings indicate that anxiety symptoms and anxiety sensitivity are relevant factors for better understanding cigarette dependence, problems experienced when trying to quit, and perceptions of barriers to quitting among adult Latinx smokers.