The Effect of Personality Traits and Psychological Resilience of University Students on Psychological Dependence on Cigarettes.

INTRODUCTION: Personality traits and psychological resilience are known to influence addictive behaviors, including smoking. This study aimed to examine the relationship between university students' personality traits, resilience, and their psychological dependence on smoking. METHODS: A descriptive and correlational design was employed. The study included 214 university students. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Abbreviated Form (EPQR-A), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Test to Assess Psychological Dependence on Smoking (TAPDS). Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between variables. FINDINGS: The mean scores were 12.92 for the EPQR-A, 18.08 for the BRS, and 53.13 for the TAPDS. A significant positive correlation was observed between TAPDS total scores and the extraversion and psychoticism subdimensions of the EPQR-A. Conversely, a significant negative correlation was found with the lie subdimension (P<0.001). These results indicate that personality traits are associated with variations in psychological dependence on smoking. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing smoking dependence among university students should consider individual personality traits. Approaches that strengthen psychological resilience may be particularly effective in mitigating addiction levels. Both psychological and behavioral strategies targeting resilience are recommended to support students in preventing and reducing cigarette dependence.