Smokers Show Lower Levels of Psychological Well-Being and Mindfulness than Non-Smokers

Víviam Vargas Barros; Elisa Harumi Kozasa; Taynara Dutra Batista Formagini; Laís Helena Pereira; Telmo Mota Ronzani

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0135377

Smokers Show Lower Levels of Psychological Well-Being and Mindfulness than Non-Smokers

PLoS One. 2015 Aug 13;10(8):e0135377. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135377. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Víviam Vargas Barros¹, Elisa Harumi Kozasa², Taynara Dutra Batista Formagini¹, Laís Helena Pereira¹, Telmo Mota Ronzani¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Human Sciences Institute, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
² Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Instituto do Cérebro, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

Mindfulness is defined as "paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally". Mindfulness is associated with positive affect, life satisfaction, self-esteem, lower negative affect and rumination. Conversely, evidence suggests a relationship between nicotine dependence and psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to compare the levels of Mindfulness and Subjective Well-Being (SWB) between smokers and non-smokers. Ninety seven smokers and eighty four non-smokers participated in the study (n = 181). The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-BR) and the Subjective Well-Being Scale (SWBS) were used. In all the factors of SWBS, the total scores in the FFMQ-BR and in the facets of Observing and Non-Reactivity, the non-smokers scored higher than the smokers. This study suggests that smokers present lower levels of Mindfulness and SWB than non-smokers. Consequently, we propose that Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) may help smokers deal with treatment and abstinence by increasing their level of SWB.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Attention*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Smoking / psychology*
Surveys and Questionnaires*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (APQ-04279-10) (http://www.fapemig.br). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.