Developmental course(s) of lifetime cigarette use and panic attack comorbidity: an equifinal phenomenon?

The present investigation examined the developmental course(s) of lifetime cigarette use and panic attack comorbidity. Participants included 4,409 adults, ages 15 to 54 years of age (M(Age) = 33.1, SD = 10.7, N (females) = 2,221) from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). The primary objective of the present investigation was to better understand the developmental course(s) of lifetime cigarette use and panic attacks. A second objective of the investigation was to evaluate the developmental features of smoking-panic comorbidity in relation to other comorbid psychiatric and substance outcomes. Results demonstrated two distinct and novel operative developmental patterns of smoking-panic attack co-occurrence. The theoretical and clinical implications of delineating course-related factors underlying smoking-panic attack comorbidity are discussed.