The sample comprised 290 smokers (41 % men and 59 % women) who participated in a psychological smoking cessation treatment and who were followed for a year. Abstinence was tested by measuring carbon monoxide in exhaled air.
Participants with a probable borderline, antisocial or avoidant personality disorder were less likely to quit smoking at the end of the treatment, whereas probable schizoid personality disorder predicted better maintenance of abstinence at 6 and 12 months. In addition, smoking 25 or more cigarettes before starting the treatment decreased the likelihood of maintaining abstinence at 6 and 12 months of follow-up.
This study revealed differential (and opposing) relationships between specific personality disorders and smoking cessation outcomes, illustrating the need to consider Axis II disorders separately when predicting treatment outcomes.