Smoking involvement during adolescence among African Americans and Puerto Ricans: risks to psychological and physical well-being in young adulthood.
The major aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal association between adolescent smoking involvement and self-reported psychological and physical outcomes in young adulthood. Participants included 333 African Americans and 329 Puerto Ricans who were surveyed in 1990 in their New York City schools and interviewed in 1995 and 2000-2001, primarily in their homes. The psychological outcomes included ego integration, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulty. The physical health measures included a general health rating, number of illnesses, and symptoms of ill health. Also, three scales measured problems due to alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drug use. Smoking involvement varied by age, sex, and ethnicity but not by socioeconomic status nor by late adolescent parental status. Analysis showed that the relationships between adolescent smoking involvement and psychological and physical health problems in young adulthood remained significant even with control on demographic factors, earlier levels of the outcome variables, and marijuana use. The relationships between smoking behavior and problems with alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drug use were particularly strong. Thus, adolescent smoking seems to have a wide range of clinical implications for young adulthood.
Brook
Judith S
JS
Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 215 Lexington Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA. judith.brook@med.nyu.edu
Balka
Elinor B
EB
Ning
Yuming
Y
Whiteman
Martin
M
Finch
Stephen J
SJ
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D009519:New York City; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American