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Is the severity of adolescent conduct disorder associated with the level of nicotine dependence?

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Abstract

Our aim was to investigate the relationship between the number of Conduct Disorder (CD) symptoms and specific DSM-IV symptom subscales (i.e., aggression towards people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violations of rules) and nicotine dependence (ND) among adolescent psychiatric inpatients in Finland. A total of 171 adolescents with CD (99 boys and 72 girls; age 12–17 years) were admitted to inpatient psychiatric hospitalization between April 2001 and March 2006. Information on their psychiatric DSM-IV diagnoses was obtained using the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS-PL). The level of ND was assessed with the modified Fagerström Tolerance Questionnaire (mFTQ). The total number of CD symptoms correlated with the level of ND among both the boys (adj. r = 0.31, p = 0.002) and the girls (adj. r = 0.324, p = 0.006). For the boys, the number of conduct symptoms correlated with the level of ND on all subscales except for aggression, while the only statistically significant correlation for the girls was found with the deceitfulness or theft subscale. A comorbid substance use disorder was statistically significant and associated with a high level of ND among the boys (p < 0.001) and the girls (p = 0.019). Our results suggest that both in adolescent boys and girls, the greater the number of CD symptoms, the higher the level of ND. Future studies are needed on the relationship between environmental factors, non-aggressive CD symptoms and the development of ND among adolescents with CD.

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Acknowledgments

This work received support from the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, the Ethel F. Donaghue Women’s Health Investigator Program at Yale, the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation (ABMRF), VA MIRECC and the Jalmari and Rauha Ahokas Foundation. We thank the staff of adolescent unit 70 at Oulu University Hospital for collecting the data, and all the adolescents involved for their participation. The STUDY-70 workgroup: Medical supervisors: Professor Pirkko Räsänen, University of Oulu, Department of Psychiatry; Professor Jaakko Lappalainen, Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; Professor Mauri Marttunen, Helsinki University, Department of Psychiatry. Administrative supervisors: Kaisa Riala, MD, PhD, Taru Ollinen, MD, PhD, and Kristian Läksy, MD, PhD, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry. Statistical consultants: Helinä Hakko, PhD, and Kaisa Karvonen, B.Sc, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry. Senior researcher: Professor Markku Timonen, University of Oulu, Department of Public Health Sciences and General Practice. Researchers: Essi Ilomäki, MD, Risto Ilomäki, MD, Anu-Helmi Luukkonen, B.Med, University of Oulu, Department of Psychiatry; Matti Laukkanen, M.Sc, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, related directly or indirectly to the submitted work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Essi Ilomäki & Pirkko Räsänen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, Box 26, 90029 OYS, Oulu, Finland

    Kaisa Riala & Helinä Hakko

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  1. Kaisa Riala
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  2. Essi Ilomäki
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  3. Helinä Hakko
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  4. Pirkko Räsänen
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Correspondence to Kaisa Riala.

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Riala, K., Ilomäki, E., Hakko, H. et al. Is the severity of adolescent conduct disorder associated with the level of nicotine dependence?. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 20, 393–399 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-011-0189-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-011-0189-x

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