www.alcohol-drugs.co.uk – the blog

Aims  To examine the association of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms with daily smoking and nicotine dependence in young adulthood.Design  A prospective cohort study of adolescent and young adult health (n = 1943). Teen assessments occurred at 6-monthly intervals, with two follow-up assessments in young adulthood (wave 7, 1998; wave 8, 2001–03).Setting  Victoria, Australia.Participants  Students who participated at least once during the first six (adolescent) waves of the cohort study.Measurements  Adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Young adult tobacco use was defined as: daily use (6 or 7 days per week) and dependent use (4 on the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence).Findings  Among adolescent less than daily’ smokers, those with high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms had an increased risk of reporting nicotine dependence in young adulthood [odds ratio (OR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–9.1] compared to young adults who had low levels of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms, after adjusting for potential confounding factors.