Research Article
Sari Fröjd
Abstract
Abstract This study investigates the comorbidity and longitudinal associations between smoking and self-reported depression in a community-based sample of Finnish adolescents in a 2-year prospective follow-up study. The adolescents took part in a school based survey, the Adolescent Mental Health Cohort Study, first in 9th grade (mean age 15.5) and a follow-up survey was conducted two years later. The subjects of this study are 2070 adolescents who took part in both surveys. Depression was measured by R-BDI, the Finnish version of Beck’s short 13-part depression inventory. Smoking was measured by asking the respondents about their current smoking habits and how many cigarettes they had smoked. A concurrent association between depression and smoking was detected among both sexes both at age 15 and at age 17. Depression at age 15 emerged as a risk factor for smoking at age 17 among girls but not among boys. Smoking at age 15 did not predict subsequent depression among either sex. Not living with both parents at age 15 predicted subsequent depression among girls, and subsequent smoking among boys.