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Cigarette smoking and suicidal behaviour: results from a 25-year longitudinal study
J M Boden1, D M Fergusson, L J Horwood
1Christchurch Health and Development Study, University of Otago, Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand. joseph.boden@otago.ac.nz
Psychological Medicine
|September 26, 2007
Summary
Cigarette smoking showed initial links to suicidal thoughts and attempts. However, after accounting for shared background factors, these associations became insignificant, suggesting other life circumstances may be responsible.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Public Health
- Longitudinal Cohort Studies
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Examined associations between cigarette smoking and suicidal ideation/attempts.
- Utilized fixed effects regression models to control for confounding factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the relationship between smoking frequency and suicidal behavior.
- Determine if observed associations persist after controlling for unobserved confounders.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth cohort (n=1041) from ages 16-25.
- Data collected on cigarette smoking and suicidal ideation/attempts at multiple time points.
- Fixed effects regression models used for analysis.
Main Results:
- Significant bivariate associations found between smoking 20+ cigarettes/day and increased odds of suicidal ideation (OR 3.39) and suicide attempts (OR 4.39).
- After controlling for fixed confounding factors, these associations were no longer statistically significant.
- Adjusted odds for suicidal ideation were 1.00 (CI 0.46-2.18) and for suicide attempts were 1.84 (CI 0.81-4.18) for heavy smokers.
Conclusions:
- The apparent link between smoking and suicidal behavior may be largely attributed to shared unobserved background factors and life circumstances.
- These underlying factors likely influence both smoking habits and the propensity for suicidal ideation and attempts.
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