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Is cigarette smoking associated with suicidal ideation among young people?

McGee R, Williams S, Nada-Raja S

Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand. rob.mcgee@stonebow.otago.ac.nz

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the association between suicidal ideation in early adulthood and daily tobacco smoking in a community sample of adolescents. METHOD: Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study of health and development. The factors of disadvantage, impulsiveness, stress, depressed mood, tobacco smoking, other substance use, and parental attachment were included in multivariate modelling of suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Data on tobacco use were available for 764 participants. Early tobacco smoking was significantly predictive of later suicidal ideation, but there was no longer a significant relationship when high levels of stress and depression and low levels of parental attachment in adolescence were included in the multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco smoking in adolescence does not appear to elevate the risk of later suicidal ideation.

Published 2 March 2005 in Am J Psychiatry, 162(3): 619-20.
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