Skip to main content
Log in

Assault, PTSD, Family Substance Use, and Depression as Risk Factors for Cigarette Use in Youth: Findings from the National Survey of Adolescents

  • Published:
Journal of Traumatic Stress

Abstract

A national household probability sample of 4,023 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years was surveyed by telephone via structured clinical interview to determine the impact of familial substance use, sexual and physical assault, witnessed violence, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on risk of smoking. Results indicated that familial substance use increased risk of smoking only for boys and sexual assault or depression increased risk of smoking only for girls. Age, Caucasian ethnicity, and experiencing physical assault or witnessing violence elevated risk of current cigarette use for both genders. By contrast, PTSD per se was not associated with increased risk of smoking, after the effects of other variables were controlled.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acierno, R. A., Kilpatrick, D. G., Resnick, H. S., Saunders, B. E., Best, C. L. (1996). Violent assault, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression. Risk factors for cigarette use among adult women. Behavior Modification, 20, 363–384.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anthony, J. C., Warner, L. A., & Kessler, R. C. (1994). Comparative epidemiology of dependence on tobacco, alcohol, controlled substances, and inhalants: Basic findings from the National Comorbidity Survey. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology,2, 244–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckham, J. C., Roodman, A. A., Shipley, R. H., Hertzberg, M. A., Cunha, G. H., Kudler, H. S., Levin, E. D., Rose, J. E., & Fairbank, J. A. (1995). Smoking in Vietnam combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8, 461–472.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biafora, F. A., Warheit, G. J., Vega, W. A., & Gil, A. G. (1994). Stressful life events and changes in substance use among multiracial/ethnic sample of adolescent boys. Journal of Community Psychology, 22, 296–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, N., Kilbey, M. M., & Andreski, P. (1991). Nicotine dependence, major depression, and anxiety in young adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 48, 1069–1074.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, N., Kilbey, M. M., & Andreski, P. (1993). Vulnerability to psychopathology in nicotinedependent smokers: An epidemiologic study of young adults. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 941–946.

    Google Scholar 

  • Briere, J. (1988). The long-term clinical correlates of childhood sexual victimization. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 528, 327–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. A. (1989). Life events of adolescents in relation to personal and parental substance abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 484–489.

    Google Scholar 

  • Department of Health and Human Services (1990). Healthy people 2,000: National health promotion and disease prevention objectives. Publication (PHS) 91–50213.Washington, DC: USGovernment Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Distefan, J. M., Gilpin, E. A., Choi, W. S., & Pierce, J. P. (1998). Parental influences predict adolescent smoking in the United States, 1989–1993. Journal of Adolescent Health, 22, 466–474.

    Google Scholar 

  • Epping-Jordan, M. P., Watkins, S. S., Koob, G. F., & Markou, A. (1998). Dramatic decreases in brain reward function during nicotine withdrawal. Nature, 393, 76–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flint, A. J., Yamada, E. G., & Novotny, T. E. (1998). Black-White differences in cigarette smoking uptake: Progression from adolescent experimentation to regular use. Preventative Medicine, 27, 358–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • French, S. A., Perry, C. L., Leon, G. R., & Fulkerson, J. A. (1996). Self-esteem and change in body mass index over 3 years in a cohort of adolescents. Obesity Research, 4, 27–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gritz, E. R., Prokhorov, A. V., Hudmon, K. S., Chamberlain, R. M., Taylor, W. C., DiClemente, C. C., Johnston, D. A., Hu, S., Lovell, A., Jones, M., Rosenblum, C. K., Ayars, C. L., & Amos, C. I. (1998). Cigarette smoking in a multiethnic population of youth: Methods and baseline findings. Preventative Medicine, 27, 365–384.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, J. T. (1992). Substance abuse among sexually abused adolescents and their families. Journal of Adolescent Health, 13, 658–662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, J. R., Hatsukami, D. K., Mitchell, J. E., & Dahlgren, L. A. (1986). Prevalence of smoking among psychiatric outpatients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 993–997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., & Bachman, J. G. (1998). Cigarette smoking may have peaked among young teens. Press Release. AnnArbor. The University of MichiganNews and Information Service.

  • Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., & Bachman, J. G. (1998). National survey results on drug use from the Monitoring the Future study, 1975–1997: Vol 1, secondary school students. NIH Publication No. 98–4345.

  • Kaplan, S. J., Pelcovitz, D., Salzinger, S., Weiner, M., Mandel, F. S., Lesser, M. L., & Labruna, V. E. (1998). Adolescent physical abuse: Risk for adolescent psychiatric disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 954–959.

    Google Scholar 

  • Killen, J. D., Robinson, T. N., Haydel, K. F., Hayward, C., Wilson, D. M., Hammer, L. D., Litt, I. F., & Taylor, C. B. (1997). Prospective study of risk factors for the initiation of cigarette smoking. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 1011–1016.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilpatrick, D. G., Acierno, R., Saunders, B. E., Resnick, H. S., Best, C. L., & Schnurr, P. (in press). Risk factors for adolescent substance abuse and dependence: Data from a national sample. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

  • Kilpatrick, D. G., Resnick, H., Saunders, B. E., & Best, C. L. (1989). The National Women's Study PTSD module. Unpublished instrument. Charleston, SC: National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landrine, H., Richardson, J. L., Klonoff, E. A., & Flay, B. (1994). Cultural diversity in the predictors of adolescent cigarette smoking: The relative influence of peers. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 17, 331–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levenson, R. W., Oyama, O. N., & Meek, P. S. (1987). Greater reinforcement from alcohol for those at risk: Parental risk, personality risk, and sex. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96, 242–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGinnis, J. M., & Foege, W. H. (1994). Actual causes of death in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 271, 2207–2212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mizes, J., Sloan, D. M., Segraves, K., Spring, B., Pingitore, R., & Kristeller, J. (1998). The influence of weight-related variables on smoking cessation. Behavior Therapy, 29, 371–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, S. M.,& Gullone, E. (1995). Fear of weight gain: Its correlates among school aged adolescents. Psychological Reports, 76, 1305–1306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, L. A., & Klesges, R. C. (1997). Ethnic and gender differences in risk factors for smoking onset. Health Psychology 16, 499–505.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, L. A., Klesges, R. C., Zbikowski, S. M., & Glaser, R. (1997). Predictors of risk for different stages of adolescent smoking in a biracial sample. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 653–662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shalev, A., Bleich, A., & Ursano, R. J. (1990). Post-traumatic stress disorder: Somatic comorbidity and effort tolerance. Psychosomatics, 31, 197–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stasiewicz, P. R., & Maisto, S. A. (1993). Two-factor avoidance theory: The role of negative affect in the maintenance of substance use and substance use disorder. Behavior Therapy, 24, 337–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S. (1996). Alcohol abuse in individuals exposed to trauma: A critical review. Psychological Bulletin, 120, 83–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warner, L. A., Kessler, R. C., Hughes, M., & Anthony, J. C. (1995). Prevalence and correlates of drug use and dependence in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 219–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woolf, A. D. (1997). Smoking and nicotine addiction:Apediatric epidemic with sequelae in adulthood. Current Opinions in Pediatrics, 9, 470–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, B. P., Giovino, G. A., Mowery, P. D., & Eriksen, M. P. (1996). The relationship between cigarette smoking and education revisited: Implications for categorizing person's educational status. American Journal of Public Health, 86, 1582–1589.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

About this article

Cite this article

Acierno, R., Kilpatrick, D.G., Resnick, H. et al. Assault, PTSD, Family Substance Use, and Depression as Risk Factors for Cigarette Use in Youth: Findings from the National Survey of Adolescents. J Trauma Stress 13, 381–396 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007772905696

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007772905696

Navigation