Evaluating the Relationship Between Tobacco Use, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Panic in Adolescents

Anxiety Sensitivity, Tobacco Use, and Panic Among Adolescents

This study will determine whether there is a relationship between tobacco use and a heightened response to panic-producing events among adolescents. This study is fundamental research. It was not a Clinical Trial.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Panic Disorder

Detailed Description

Growing up is hard enough, and adolescence can be a particularly stressful time in people's lives as they adjust to the transition from childhood to adulthood. Peer pressure can add to this anxiety, making it more likely for teens to take part in risky behaviors such as smoking cigarettes. Every day, more than 4,000 teens smoke their first cigarette and nearly half of those teens will become regular, daily smokers. Cigarette smoking is associated with a multitude of health risks, including an increased likelihood of experiencing panic attacks, anxiety disorders, and depression. This study will evaluate a group of teens, ranging from those who have never smoked to those who smoke daily, to determine whether there is a relation between adolescent smoking history and their vulnerability to panic-producing situations.

Participants in this study will undergo a brief medical screening, followed by a short interview that will include several questionnaires regarding emotions, experiences, and personal habits. Participants will then attend a series of laboratory assessments for 1 hour. The first assessment will include a 3-minute voluntary hyperventilation procedure in which participants will be directed when to breathe in and when to breathe out, at a faster rate than normal. Participants will then take part in two computerized tasks: one will be a computerized task that involves blowing up a balloon and deciding when to quit before the balloon pops; the other task will involve choosing hypothetical amounts of money now or after a period of delay. During the laboratory assessments, all participants will have electrodes attached to their bodies and sensors around their chests to measure heart rate, palm sweating, and muscle tension. Results from this study will be used to evaluate the association between smoking and increased panic levels under stressful conditions among adolescents.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 180

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States, 72701
      • University of Arkansas

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years to 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants will be 180 psychologically healthy adolescents, evenly divided across the various stages of smoking uptake (i.e., non-smokers, tried smoking, experimenters, regular smokers, and daily smokers).

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adolescents, ranging from those who have never smoked to those who smoke daily

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current or past diagnosis of a panic disorder
• Acute or chronic cardiopulmonary or respiratory illness (e.g., asthma or bronchitis)
• Pregnant

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
1; Psychologically healthy adolescents, evenly divided across the various stages of smoking uptake

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Relationship between cigarette smoking and panic vulnerability	Measured at completion of laboratory testing analysis

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• Collaborators: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ellen W. Leen-Feldner, PhD, University of Arkansas

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2009
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 25, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 25, 2007
• First Posted (Estimate): September 27, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 17, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2022
• Last Verified: November 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Adolescents; Tobacco Use; Cigarette Smoking; Anxiety Sensitivity (AS)
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Immune System Diseases; Anxiety Disorders; Hypersensitivity; Panic Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: R03MH077692 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); DAHBR 96-BHB