The Relationship Between Mental Health and Substance Abuse Among Adolescents

3.8 Psychological Factors and Cigarette Smoking

Tables 3.3 and 3.3a present information concerning cigarette smoking among adolescents classified according to the severity of emotional and behavioral problems.

3.8.1 Emotional Problems and Cigarette Smoking

Adolescents with serious emotional problems were significantly more likely to report cigarette smoking than were those with intermediate or low levels of emotional problems (Table 3.3). Adolescents with significant emotional problems were nearly twice as likely to have smoked in the past month as were those with low levels of emotional problems. Past-month smoking was reported by 16 percent of adolescents with low emotional problem scores, by 21 percent of those with intermediate problem scores, and by 30 percent of those with significant emotional problems. This pattern was also indicated when the prevalence of smoking was examined within specific age groups. Adolescents with high scores for emotional problems had higher rates of smoking than did those with low scores.

Adolescents with high scores for emotional problems were significantly more likely to smoke daily than were those with low scores (Table 3.3a). Those with high levels of emotional problems were nearly twice as likely to smoke daily as were those with low emotional problem scores. Daily smoking was reported by 4 percent of adolescents with low levels of emotional problems, by 6 percent of those with intermediate problem scores, and by 8 percent of those with serious emotional problems. With the exception of females aged 12 to 13, a consistent pattern is observed in the different age and gender groups.

This page was last updated on June 16, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.