Evaluating the mediating role of coping-based smoking motives among treatment-seeking adult smokers

Introduction: Empirical work has demonstrated a linkage between smoking rate and anxious arousal symptoms. However, there is little understanding of the mechanisms underlying this association. Method: The present investigation examined the role of coping-based smoking motives in terms of mediating the relations between smoking rate and anxious arousal symptoms and anxious arousal symptoms and smoking rate among a sample of treatment-seeking adult smokers (N = 123; 84 women; M _age = 45.93, SD = 10.34). Results: Results indicated that coping motives mediated the relations between smoking rate and anxious arousal symptoms and anxious arousal symptoms and smoking rate. Discussion: These results suggest that coping motives play a key role in terms of better understanding the association between smoking rate and anxious arousal symptoms.