Association between psychiatric disorders and smoking stages among Latino adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the prevalence of smoking behaviors and their association with psychiatric disorders within a representative sample of youth from Puerto Rico.


METHODS
A complex sampling design was used and analyses were conducted to account for the unequal selection probability, stratification and clustering. All analyses were weighted back to the population from which they were drawn. Psychiatric and substance use disorders were assessed using the parent and youth versions of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version 4.0 (DISC-IV).


RESULTS
After controlling for other comorbidity, major depression and oppositional defiant disorder were significantly associated with nicotine dependence, rather than with lower levels of use. In contrast, conduct disorder was generally associated with lower levels of use rather than with nicotine dependence. As expected, the alcohol and drug use disorders demonstrated some of the strongest associations with individual smoking stages.


CONCLUSIONS
By examining psychiatric correlates of smoking stages within an island-wide sample of adolescents, the present study highlights those disorders that may play a role in the development and/or persistence of smoking behavior in Puerto Rico and further clarifies the appropriate targets for smoking intervention conducted in community settings.
Dierker
Lisa C
LC
Wesleyan University, Psychology Department, 207 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459, USA. l.dierker@wesleyan.edu
Ramirez
Rafael R
RR
Chavez
Ligia M
LM
Canino
Glorisa
G
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000208:ethnology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000453:epidemiology; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires