Nicotine dependence, internalizing symptoms, mood variability and daily tobacco use among young adult smokers

Introduction: Cigarette use among young adults continues to rise. As young adults transition to college and assume other adult roles and responsibilities, they are at risk for the development of mental health problems and for the progression of substance use problems. Previous studies suggest that individual differences in negative and positive mood contribute to cigarette use in established college-aged smokers, but less is known whether fluctuations in mood influence daily cigarette use, controlling for trait levels of internalizing symptoms and nicotine dependence. Methods: Data for this study came from a sample of college students (N = 39, 59% female, mean age 20.4 years) who reported regular cigarette use and participated in a 21-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study assessing within-individual variation in cigarette use and mood. Results: A three-level hierarchical linear model accounting for the structure of 1896 occasions of cigarette use nested within days and individuals indicated that within-individual variability in positive mood was associated with cigarette use at each occasion, after taking into account baseline levels of nicotine dependence and internalizing problems. Conclusions: Daily shifts in positive moods are importantly associated with consuming cigarettes throughout the day.