The effects of trauma recall on smoking topography in posttraumatic stress disorder and non-posttraumatic stress disorder trauma survivors F. Joseph McClernon a , Jean C. Beckham a,b, * , Susannah L. Mozley c , Michelle E. Feldman b , Scott R. Vrana d , Jed E. Rose a,b a Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA b Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA c National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Boston, MA, USA d Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA Abstract Smoking topography was measured in trauma survivors with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after recalling trauma-related and neutral experiences. Analysis of covariance was performed on puff topography and mood measures using nicotine dependence scores and current major depressive disorder as covariates. Puff volumes were higher in the PTSD group than in the non- PTSD group. The PTSD group exhibited stable puff onset intervals while the non-PTSD group exhibited significantly shorter intervals following trauma recall. These findings support a ‘‘ceiling effect’’ hypothesis in which individuals with PTSD perpetually smoke in such a way as to maximize nicotine delivery, possibly reducing the potentially reinforcing effects of increased smoke delivery in negative affect-inducing situations. D 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: PTSD; Smoking; Smoking topography; Stress; Anxiety; Trauma 0306-4603/$ – see front matter D 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2004.05.013 * Corresponding author. Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 116B, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC 27705, USA. Tel.: +1-919-286-0411; fax: +1-919-286-6812. E-mail address: beckham@duke.edu (J.C. Beckham). Addictive Behaviors 30 (2005) 247 – 257