Smoking Characteristics of Adolescent Smokers With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in a Psychiatric Inpatient Setting

Abstract

Although there has been a gradual decline in adolescent smoking since the late 1990s, it continues to be a significant public health concern. Among adults, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) seems to be a significant risk factor for increased smoking. This study examined smoking-related characteristics of adolescent smokers with and without PTSD receiving inpatient psychiatric services. In this study, we conducted structured clinical interviews with 191 adolescents (aged 13 to 17 years) who were hospitalized in an inpatient psychiatric facility. Results suggested that adolescent smokers with PTSD had higher nicotine dependence severity scores but were not more likely to meet criteria for nicotine dependence compared with those without PTSD. Future directions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• smoking
• adolescents
• trauma
• co-morbidity

This research was supported by Grant CA 77082 from the National Cancer Institute to Richard A. Brown, PhD.