IS SMOKING ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN TEENAGERS

Objectives. An association of smoking with depression and anxiety has been documented in adult smokers. This study examines this association in a representative group of teenage smokers. Methods. A two-stage cl uster sample of secondary school students in Victoria, Australia, were surveyed by using a computerized questionnaire, which included a 7-da y retrospective diary for tobacco use and a structured psychiatric int erview. Results. Subjects reporting high levels of depression and anxi ety were twice as likely to be smokers after the potential confounders of year level, sex, alcohol use, and parental smoking were controlled for. Regular smokers were almost twice as likely as occasional smoker s to report high levels of depression and anxiety. In a stratified ana lysis, an association between regular smoking and psychiatric morbidit y was found in girls of all ages but for boys only in the youngest gro up. Conclusions. The cross-sectional association is consistent with th e use of smoking by teenage girls as self-medication for depression an d anxiety. Therefore, future health promotional campaigns might consid er strategies that attend to perceived psychological benefits of smoki ng.