title: Psychiatric and familial predictors of transition times between smoking stages: results from an offspring-of-twins study.
abstract: The modifying effects of psychiatric and familial risk factors on age at smoking initiation, rate of progression from first cigarette to regular smoking, and transition time from regular smoking to nicotine dependence (ND) were examined in 1269 offspring of male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Mean age of the sample was 20.1 years. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses adjusting for paternal alcohol dependence and ND status and maternal ND were conducted. Both early age at first cigarette and rapid transition from initiation to regular smoking were associated with externalizing disorders, alcohol consumption, and cannabis use. Rapid escalation from regular smoking to ND was also predicted by externalizing disorders, but in contrast to earlier transitions, revealed a strong association with internalizing disorders and no significant relationship with use of other substances. Findings characterize a rarely examined aspect of the course of ND development and highlight critical distinctions in risk profiles across stages of tobacco involvement.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. sartorc@psychiatry.wustl.edu
authors: Carolyn E
authors: CE
authors: Sartor
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Xian
authors: Jeffrey F
authors: JF
authors: Scherrer
authors: Michael T
authors: MT
authors: Lynskey
authors: Alexis E
authors: AE
authors: Duncan
authors: J Randolph
authors: JR
authors: Haber
authors: Julia D
authors: JD
authors: Grant
authors: Kathleen K
authors: KK
authors: Bucholz
authors: Theodore
authors: T
authors: Jacob
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D018450:Disease Progression; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology