Exploring a First-Order Factor Structure Within a Measure of Smoking Motives: Examining Evidence for an Affect Regulation Smoking Motive Factor

Abstract

Smoking is a leading cause of death, yet a large number of people continue to smoke. While nicotine dependence is accepted as a motivator, other factors play a role too. The purpose of this study was to explore smoking motivation to determine if distinct smoking motives condense into a smaller number of higher-order factors, with one possibly related to affect regulation (e.g. Neuroticism). The sample consisted of 200 adults (age: M=33.26, SD=10.41) including Caucasian (n = 163), African American (n = 14), Asian (n = 17), and Latino ( n = 4). Males made up 61% of the sample; 39% were female. Participants completed self-report measures tapping nicotine dependence, smoking motives, personality factors, Neuroticism facets, and stress. As expected, two factors were extracted in the exploratory factor analysis; one related to affect regulation. Both factors were associated with nicotine dependence. Counter to expectations, Neuroticism was unrelated to the affect regulation factor. Exploratory analyses suggested this may be due to the high level of dependent smokers in our sample. Dependence level may play a role in the relationship between smoking motives and personality and it may be that in smokers with higher levels of dependence, physiological nicotine dependence masks individual differences such as personality traits and non-physical motivations. The limitations of the study are discussed, as are implications for future research in this area.