Social skills and social anxiety in smokers and non smokers

The objective of this study was to evaluate the social skills and social anxiety in smokers and compare them with those of non-smokers. Four instruments were used: one for sociodemographic data, the Fagerstrom Test for nicotine dependence (Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence), the Social Skills Inventory (IHS), and the Questionnaire of Social Interaction for Adults (Cuestionario de interacción social para adultos, CISO-A82). The sample consisted in 182 subjects (90 smokers and 92 nonsmokers) between 20 and 60 years of age. The group of smokers had a significant deficit in factor 4 “Interacting with strangers (p= 0.018) and factor 5 “Being in evidence and be the center of attention” (p= 0.029) of the CISO-A82, however no significant difference was found between smokers and nonsmokers in the factors and total scale of the IHS. We conclude that smokers have more anxiety than non-smokers in two dimensions social interaction with strangers and when they are in evidence, but there are no significant differences in their social skills.