PERSONALITY-CHARACTERISTICS OF USERS OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO COMPARED WITH CIGARETTE SMOKERS AND NONUSERS OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS

This study compares the personality characteristics of men who use smokeless tobacco (ST) products with smokers and non-users. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI), and the Anger Expression (AX) Scale were given to a heterogeneous sample of 755 men residing in Florida and Texas, consisting of 275 ST-Users, 272 smokers, and 208 non-users. Participants were screened to ensure adequate reading ability, and were tested individually at convenience stores, gun and boat shows, barbecue and truck-stop restaurants, and a county fair. ST-Users and smokers had significantly higher mean EPQ Psychoticism and STPI Trait Anger scores than non-users. Smokers also had significantly higher EPQ Neuroticism and Anger-In scores, and were lower in trait curiosity than non-users; the scores of the ST-Users on these measures fell between those of the smokers and non-users, and did not differ significantly from either group. Although no differences in Extraversion were found between ST-Users, smokers and non-users, Occasional ST-Users had significantly higher E scores than Regular Users of smokeless tobacco products.