Sosyal Bilimler ve Sağlık Bülteni

Özgün Makale

No. 17 (2026)

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem, Smoking, and Nicotine Dependence Among Family Physicians Working in Seyhan District of Adana Province: A Cross-Sectional Study

Submitted
December 18, 2025
Published
2026-03-11

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between the self-esteem of family physicians and their smoking status and nicotine addiction levels.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 136 family physicians working in the Seyhan District of Adana. Sociodemographic questions, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale short form and Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test applied to active smokers were used as data collection tools. ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analysis were used in statistical analyses.

Results: 24.3% of the participants were active smokers, 53.7% had never smoked and 22.1% had quit smoking. The mean Fagerström score of active users was 6.3±1.9, while the self-esteem score of all participants was 30.2±8.4. The self-esteem of non-smokers was significantly higher than that of active smokers (p=0.007). A strong negative correlation was found between nicotine addiction and self-esteem (r=-0.764; p<0.001). Regression analysis was performed on the sub-sample of active smokers only (n=33) and self-esteem explained 55.7% of the variance in nicotine dependence (B=-0.090, β=-0.787; p<0.001).

Conclusion: Low self-esteem in family physicians is associated with nicotine addiction and smoking. However, given the cross-sectional design, the directionality of this relationship remains uncertain. These findings support the hypothesis that interventions aimed at strengthening self-esteem may be effective in combating tobacco addiction, and call for longitudinal and experimental studies to test this hypothesis.

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