Smoking status and psychosocial variables in type 1 diabetes mellitus

While depression, anxiety, and negative affect are associated with smoking and smoking cessation outcomes in healthy individuals, these associations h ave not been established in smokers with chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, a condition which greatly increases cardiovascular disease risk. Other psychosocial variables such as stress and locus of control may also b e associated with smoking but are seldom reported. We examined stress, affe ct, and locus of control by smoking status in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Results indicated that current smokers reported significantly hi gher levels of perceived stress, a more negative affect, and higher powerfu l others locus of control compared with nonsmokers. These findings indicate that those patients who have diabetes and who smoke are at greater risk fo r depressive symptoms. This knowledge may aid clinicians in their attempts to help these patients quit smoking. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rig hts reserved.