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Adolescent smoking and depression: which comes first?
1University of Kentucky, Institute for Educational Research, 105 Taylor Education Building, Lexington, 40506, USA. tlsteu2@uky.edu
Addictive Behaviors
|June 1, 2005
Summary
Adolescent smoking is linked to depression. Those who start, continue, or maintain smoking are more likely to be depressed, especially females, suggesting smoking may contribute to depression.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Adolescent Psychology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Adolescent smoking persists despite known health risks.
- The relationship between adolescent smoking and depression is not fully understood.
- Previous research indicates an association, but the directionality is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direction of the relationship between cigarette smoking and depression in adolescents.
- To determine if smoking precedes or follows the onset of depressive symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health).
- Analyzed in-home surveys from 14,634 adolescents (7,132 males, 7,502 females) collected in 1995-1996.
- Categorized participants into four smoking status groups: Starters, Quitters, Maintainers, and Nevers.
Main Results:
- Adolescents who started smoking, quit smoking, or maintained smoking were 1.5, 1.4, and 2.0 times more likely, respectively, to be depressed compared to never-smokers.
- Females exhibited increased depression around smoking onset and decreased depression upon quitting.
- Findings suggest a potential causal link from smoking to depression.
Conclusions:
- The study's results are consistent with the hypothesis that smoking may lead to depression in adolescents.
- Further research is needed to definitively establish causality.
- Interventions targeting adolescent smoking may have positive impacts on mental health.