This study assessed the psychobehavioral effects of nicotine exposure from secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) on smokers and nonsmokers. As a known human carcinogen contributing to lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illness, the prevalence of SHS, constituting wide-spread involuntary exposure to nicotine, may also have important psychobehavioral outcomes. It was predicted that nicotine exposure from SHS would have neurobehavioral effects on nonsmokers and affect smoking cessation behaviors and nicotine dependence in smokers.
Three studies were conducted. An integrative literature review was first performed to assess whether SHS can engender functional levels of nicotine exposure with resultant neurobehavioral outcomes. The first study validated the use of hair nicotine as a biomarker for SHS exposure. The second study assessed the influence of SHS exposure on nicotine dependence and cessation behaviors among smokers. The third study assessed the behavioral effects of nicotine exposure from SHS on smoking and nonsmoking hospitality workers.
Although no known studies have assessed the impact of nicotine exposure from SHS on psychobehavioral processes, evidence from the literature review suggests that SHS can engender levels of nicotine exposure comparable to active smoking; producing plasma levels associated with subjective mood effects in humans. The first study demonstrated that self-reported SHS exposure was associated with hair nicotine levels. In the second study, SHS exposure significantly contributed to the variance in a model predicting nicotine dependence among smokers. Smokers with greater SHS exposure were less likely to plan on quitting in the next six months and less successful to quit smoking for one day in the previous year. In the third study, nonsmoking bar and restaurant workers with higher nicotine exposure from SHS were more likely to report psychobehavioral symptoms; but SHS exposure had little to no effect on nicotine dependence among smoking workers.
These studies provide evidence that SHS exposure may result in psychobehavioral outcomes on nonsmokers and smokers. However, the psychobehavioral effect of nicotine exposure from SHS on smokers is uncertain. Implications of this study include the promotion of policies that protect the public from both the adverse health effect of SHS exposure and its potential psychobehavioral outcomes in nonsmokers.
My Research