Mental Toughness Changes Among Smokers: A Case-control Study

Abstract

Background: Smoking is one of the biggest challenges in human life today. Stress or negative emotions have a significant impact on smokers. Moreover, mental toughness is a psychological characteristic that enables people to cope with emotional pressure. Therefore, in the present study, changes in mental toughness among smokers were investigated. Materials and Methods: This questionnaire-based case-control study was conducted on 212 smokers and 295 non-smokers using standard questionnaires. The Mental Toughness Questionnaire with 48 items (MTQ-48) and the Fagerstrom test with 6 items were used to assess mental toughness and nicotine dependence, respectively. Mental toughness consists of 4 components: commitment, challenge, trust, and control. Both paper and online questionnaires were used. The study population was randomly selected from across the country between July and August 2021. All results were selfreported and the accuracy of the collected data was not verified. Results: A total of 469 subjects, including 197 smokers and 272 non-smokers, were included in the study. Statistical analysis revealed that the mean scores of the challenge, life and emotional control, and self-confidence scales differed statically between the two groups of smokers and non-smokers (P<0.0.5). In addition, there was a statically significant difference between female smokers and non-smokers only in life and emotional control (P<0.0.5). We also found a statically significant difference in the total mental toughness score between the two groups (P<0.0.5). Conclusion: It seems that mental toughness decreases significantly in smokers and this can be considered as one of the potential causes of the increased tendency to smoke.