Abstract
Clinical personality trait differences in the maintenance of abstinence and in relapses in the treatment of smoking cessation. The aim of this study is to describe and compare personality characteristics of participants who quit smoking voluntarily by means of group treatment. The assessment instrument used was the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI). It was administered to a sample of 105 persons in Málaga (Spain) in The Spanish Cancer Association (Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer). The analysis consisted of comparing two sample groups: abstinence and relapse. The results revealed a higher rate of avoidant, masochistic and negativistic clinical personality traits in the relapse group. However, people with dependent personality traits maintained abstinence. There were also differences, in the direction of more relapses, in schizotypal and borderline personality disorders. This suggests that certain personality traits could be risk factors for relapse, whereas others increase the probability of success in the process of smoking cessation.
