Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41132168›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

Smoking-related gestures and anxiety: a preliminary study in treatment-seeking smokers.

Lorenzo Zamboni, Francesca Locatelli, Roberta Vesentini, Rebecca Casari, Alessio Congiu, Anna Guerra, Daniela Bettoni, Silvia Carli, Sara Cappelletti, Silvia Melchiori and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Lorenzo ZamboniDepartment of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Francesca LocatelliDiagnostics and Public Health-Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Roberta VesentiniDiagnostics and Public Health-Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Rebecca CasariDepartment of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Alessio CongiuDepartment of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Anna GuerraDepartment of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Daniela BettoniDepartment of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Silvia CarliDepartment of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Sara CappellettiCentro Trentino di Solidarietà, Trento, Italy.
Silvia MelchioriDepartment of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Simone CampagnariDepartment of Internal Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Giuseppe VerlatoDiagnostics and Public Health-Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Maurizio Valentino Infante *Thoracic Surgery Department, University and Hospital Trust-Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Fabio Lugoboni *Department of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The act of smoking is not solely driven by nicotine dependence, but also involves behavioral and sensorimotor components that may independently contribute to addiction maintenance. Among these, gestural rituals such as holding and bringing the cigarette to the mouth may play a role in emotional regulation and self-soothing, particularly in individuals with anxiety. This study aimed to explore the relationship between smoking-related gestures, nicotine dependence, and anxiety symptoms in a sample of smokers seeking addiction treatment. Methods: A total of 81 treatment-seeking smokers were recruited from an Addiction Medicine Unit. Nicotine dependence was assessed using the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), anxiety symptoms were measured with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the importance of smoking-related gestures was rated on a 7-point Likert scale via a single-item question. Correlational and non-parametric tests (Spearman's rho, Kruskal-Wallis, Fisher's exact test) were used to analyze associations among the variables. Results: A significant positive correlation was found between anxiety levels and the perceived importance of smoking gestures ( Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that smoking-related gestures may be particularly salient for individuals with elevated anxiety, potentially functioning as ritualized coping behaviors independent of nicotine intake. This dimension may help explain why some smokers struggle to quit despite low biochemical dependence. Future studies should develop validated instruments to assess smoking-related motor patterns and explore tailored interventions targeting the behavioral components of tobacco use.

Indexed as

AnxietyGesturesSmokersSmokingTobacco Use DisorderAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle Agedaddictionanxietycigarettegesturenicotinesmoking cesationtobacco

Identifiers

PMID41132168
PMCPMC12540410

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.