Pamela A.F. Madden1, K.K. Bucholz1, L.J. Bierut1, W.S. Slutske2, W. Reich1, & A.C. Heath1
Telephone interview data on measures of DSM-IV nicotine dependence and the use of cigarettes were obtained from over 1,500 female adolescent twins 15-19 years of age, recruited using state birth records. Of those twins reporting to have experimented with cigarettes (58%), 63% reported experiencing some initial sensitivity to nicotine (i.e., dizziness, headache, nausea or heart racing), 42% a history of regular smoking (smoking cigarettes at least 3-4 days a week); and among regular smokers 37% reported a history of heavy smoking (more than 15 cigarettes per day), 74% a history of nicotine dependence, 25% having had experienced four or more problems with nicotine withdrawal at sometime in their lives, and 54% having had one or more unsuccessful attempts at smoking cessation. Controlling for age and peer smoking, girls who reported experiencing more sensitivity to their first cigarettes were 3 times (OR: 3.05, 95% CI: 2.20-4.22) more likely to become a regular smoker; and among regular smokers, girls reporting at least one symptom of nicotine withdrawal were over 5 times (OR: 5.56, 95% CI: 2.92-10.60) more likely to have at least one unsuccessful attempt at quitting cigarettes, and were nearly 3 times (OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.47-5.30) more likely to report a history of daily smoking. Using logistic regression models we found evidence for a genetic influence on experimentation with cigarettes, lifetime regular smoking, and for self-reported dizziness following the first few cigarettes; however, among regular smokers, we could not reject the hypothesis that familial co-aggregation for symptoms of nicotine dependence was due to environmental experiences shared by cotwins.
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1Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis , MO, 63110. 2University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211. 3Supported by NIH grants AA09022 and DA00272.