Tobacco Use Disorder: Gender and Sex Differences

Tobacco use disorder is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), as a problematic pattern of tobacco use manifested by at least 2 out of 11 criteria. In the a previous edition, the DSM-IV, the disorder was called nicotine dependence and the criteria were slightly different, requiring three out of seven criteria. The DSM-5 was published in 2013; therefore, most of the information on prevalence rates and gender and sex differences is based on the DSM-IV criteria.

In general, men are more likely to use tobacco products than women, and this varies with the type of tobacco use. Cigarettes represent more than 90% of tobacco use followed by smokeless tobacco (5%) and cigars and pipes (< 1%). The Centers for ...