Sex-Specific Link Between Emotional Vulnerability and Poor Weight Control in Cigarette Smokers

Background Cigarette smoking and poor weight control independently and synergistically increase risk for morbidity and mortality. However, few studies have examined the etiological role of emotion-regulatory dysfunction in the link between smoking and poor weight control, as well as the possible moderating role of sex. Method Participants ( n = 577; M age = 44.42; SD = 13.80; 52.7% female) were daily smokers who completed a single survey online through Qualtrics. Emotional vulnerability was indexed by a latent construct comprised of the subscales from the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) and the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3). A regression model was constructed to examine the relation between emotional vulnerability and poor weight control, measured via body mass index (BMI). Results Emotional vulnerability was significantly and positively associated with BMI ( b = .08, p = .020). The effect was moderated by sex, such that emotional vulnerability was significantly related to BMI in female smokers ( b = .15, p = .002), but not in male smokers ( b = .01, p = .806). Conclusions Emotional vulnerability appears to be a novel female-specific psychological mechanism related to poor weight control in smokers. Possible limitations are discussed.