Name: Alka Pandey, Aeshita Jadon/ Date: 22-01-2025
Background: Nicotine addiction among young adults represents a significant public healthconcern with profound psychological implications. Despite widespread awareness of healthrisks, tobacco use continues to be prevalent during this vulnerable developmental stage. Previousresearch has established that cigarette addiction can be as formidable as dependencies onsubstances like cocaine and heroin, warranting focused investigation on factors influencinginitiation, maintenance, and cessation challenges during young adulthood.
Aim: This study aimed to investigate nicotine addiction patterns among young adults, withparticular focus on gender differences, smoking habits, self-perception of dependency, and age-related vulnerability factors influencing cigarette dependency.
Method: A sample of 60 university students (32 males, 28 females) aged 18-25 years wasrandomly selected. Data was collected using the Cigarette Dependency Scale-12 (CDS-12),which demonstrates robust reliability (Cronbach’s alpha > .84) and validity. Descriptivestatistical analysis was employed to examine addiction levels, gender differences, and relatedbehavioral. patterns.
Result: The findings revealed a slight male skew in nicotine dependency (53.3% male vs. 46.7%female), with males showing higher mean dependency scores (30.2) compared to females(22.74). Most students consumed 0-5 cigarettes daily, with 50% rejecting the notion of feeling”imprisoned” by cigarettes. Notably, 60% of participants continued smoking despite awareness of health risks. The overall mean dependency score across all participants was 27.21, indicatingmoderate levels of addiction.
Conclusion: This study highlights that young adults aged 18-25 represent a vulnerable populationfor nicotine addiction, with notable gender differences in dependency patterns and severity.Despite health risk awareness, significant barriers to cessation exist, underscoring the need forgender-sensitive and age-appropriate intervention strategies. These findings contribute tounderstanding the complex psychological factors underlying nicotine dependency among youngadults and emphasize the importance of tailored cessation programs.
Keywords: Addiction, Cigarette dependency, Nicotine, Prevalence, Psychological consequences,Young adults.
