Depresión y fumar en estudiantes de enseñanza secundaria (14-21 años)

Abstract

In the adult population, there is a large number of studies on the relation between smoking and various psychopathological disorders, among which depression is emphasized. However, at earlier ages, this relation has not received as much attention. The aim of this study is to determine the relation between smoking and depression in a representative sample of secondary school students from Galicia (N = 2,790). The results indicate a clear relation between smoking and major depressive symptomatology as involvement in tobacco consumption increases (students who had never smoked obtained a score in the Children’s Depression Inventory – CDI- of 11.99; those who smoked occasionally scored 13.23; and those who smoked every day scored 15.10). The conjoint results reveal a reciprocal relation between depression and starting to smoke. The higher probability of suffering from depression among adolescents who smoke, and vice versa, should be taken into account both in prevention and in smoking cessation treatment programs in adolescents.