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 smokingpanic 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 smokingpanic attack comorbidity are discussed.