title: Examination of smoking inflexibility as a mechanism linking anxiety sensitivity and severity of smoking behavior.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anxiety sensitivity is associated with smoking processes and poorer clinical outcomes. Yet, the specific mechanisms underlying this association are unclear. Smoking-specific avoidance and inflexibility (AIS) is a construct implicated in multiple manifestations of mood regulation that may underlie smoking severity. The current study examined whether AIS accounted for (ie, statistically mediated) the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and multiple indices of smoking severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline self-report data were collected among treatment-seeking smokers (N = 396; 48% female; Mage  = 37.8 years) taking part in a larger intervention study. Gender, smoking-related medical history, Axis I diagnoses, hazardous alcohol use, substance abuse/dependence, and negative affectivity were statistically controlled in analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anxiety sensitivity was indirectly related to all smoking severity variables, with the exception of nicotine dependence, through its relation with AIS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide initial evidence suggesting AIS may be an important construct in better understanding anxiety sensitivity-smoking relations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest the importance of AIS as a malleable target for smoking cessation intervention.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas.
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Jardin
authors: Jafar
authors: J
authors: Bakhshaie
authors: Norman B
authors: NB
authors: Schmidt
authors: Carla
authors: C
authors: Sharp
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Zvolensky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D066249:Craving; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult