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Cardiovascular responses to a quantified dose of nicotine as a function of personality and nicotine tolerance

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Abstract

Correlations between cardiovascular effects of a quantified dose of nicotine and personality measures previously shown to predict coronary heart disease were obtained. Thirty male smokers smoked a popular brand of a regular strength cigarette (1.0 mg FTC-estimated nicotine delivery) on one occasion and a nicotine-free cigarette on another occasion by means of a quantified smoke delivery system. Partial correlations controlling for effects of body weight, questionnaire-assessed nicotine tolerance, and cardiovascular responses to the nicotine-free control cigarette showed Jenkins Activity Survey Type A scores to correlate positively with nicotine-induced increase in diastolic blood pressure but negatively with nicotine-induced increase in systolic blood pressure. Partial correlations indicated that trait anxiety and depression were significantly associated with nicotine-induced heart rate increases but not with nicotine-induced blood pressure responses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 62901, Carbondale, Illinois

    Carmen L. Masson & David G. Gilbert

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  1. Carmen L. Masson
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  2. David G. Gilbert
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This work was supported by a grant from the Office of Research and Development Administration of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. This article is based on the first author's thesis, which was supervised by the second author.

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Masson, C.L., Gilbert, D.G. Cardiovascular responses to a quantified dose of nicotine as a function of personality and nicotine tolerance. J Behav Med 13, 505–521 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844835

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