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Does High Tobacco Consumption Cause Psychological Distress? A Mendelian Randomization Study
Lise S Skov-Ettrup1, Børge G Nordestgaard2, Christina B Petersen3
1National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark; lse@niph.dk.
Summary
While smoking is linked to psychological distress, this study found no clear causal link. High tobacco consumption showed associations with stress, fatigue, and hopelessness, but genetic analysis did not confirm causality.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Genetics
- Psychiatric Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Growing evidence links smoking to negative mental health outcomes.
- Establishing causality between tobacco consumption and psychological distress is challenging with observational data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal relationship between high tobacco consumption and psychological distress.
- Utilize a Mendelian randomization design with a genetic variant in the CHRNA3 gene as an instrumental variable for tobacco consumption.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 90,108 participants in the Copenhagen General Population Study.
- Assessed self-reported smoking (cigarettes/day, pack years) and CHRNA3 rs1051730 genotype.
- Studied three dimensions of psychological distress: stress, fatigue, and hopelessness, stratified by smoking status.
Main Results:
- A strong association was observed between self-reported smoking amount and all three dimensions of psychological distress.
- Participants smoking 30+ cigarettes/day had significantly higher odds of stress, fatigue, and hopelessness.
- The CHRNA3 genotype was not associated with psychological distress in current, former, or never-smokers.
Conclusions:
- Despite a strong association, no clear evidence supports a causal relationship between high tobacco consumption and psychological distress.
- The co-occurrence of smoking and psychological distress warrants consideration in prevention and cessation interventions.
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