A cross-cultural perspective on the relationship between social anxiety and cigarette use: a case from France and the Republic of Moldova

ABSTRACT

We investigated the role of culture in the relationship between social anxiety and tobacco dependence in a collectivist country (Republic of Moldova) and an individualist Western country (France). More specifically, we examined this relationship among young French (n = 225) and Moldovan (n = 288) adults aged between 18 and 30 years. Moldovan daily smokers had higher fear of performance and fear of social interaction scores than Moldovan non-smokers. Moldovan and French smokers with a low level of cigarette dependence had lower social anxiety scores than those with a medium or high level of cigarette dependence. However, whereas heavy cigarette dependence was mainly associated with avoidance of social interaction in the Moldovan sample, it was mainly associated with performance concerns (fear and avoidance) in the French sample. Cultural context may mediate the co-occurrence of social anxiety and tobacco smoking.

KEYWORDS:

• Smoking
• social anxiety
• cigarette use
• dependence
• culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr Catherine Potard is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Angers. She studies the personality determinants of health that explain within group differences among adolescents and young adults.

Andrei Hadjiu, MSc in Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Reims Champagne Ardenne. His previous interests have focused on the intersections of stress, mental health, and culture.