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Affiliation
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Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, Connecticut 06511. |
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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION: Substance use is a major risk factor for various forms of violence, yet how cigarette smoking influences violence outcomes is incompletely understood. We investigated associations between cigarette smoking and three types of violence in a large, nationally representative, community-based sample.
METHODS: Adult subjects participating in both Wave 1 (2001- 2002; N=43,093) and Wave 2 (2004-2005; N=34,653) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) were stratified by daily cigarette smoking status at Wave 1, and individuals with unchanged smoking status between waves were analyzed [non-smokers (consisting of never and former daily smokers): N=22,529; daily smokers: N=7,442]. We created composites of other- and self-directed violence and victimization occurring between Waves 1 and 2, and performed logistic regression models, controlling for psychiatric diagnoses, alcohol and substance use, and relevant demographic covariates.
RESULTS: Daily smokers at Wave 1 were 2.1 (95% CI: 1.5-3.0), 2.5 (2.1-2.9), and 1.7 (1.5-2.1) times more likely than non-smokers to report self-directed violence, other-directed violence, or victimization between Waves 1 and 2, respectively. Former daily smokers were significantly less likely to report other-directed violence than individuals who were never daily smokers.
CONCLUSIONS: Daily cigarette smoking is temporally associated with multiple forms of violence compared to never and former cigarette smokers, even when common covariates associated with violence are controlled. Smoking status should be carefully controlled for in studies designed to identify risk factors for violence, and may be a useful component of violence risk assessment.
Language: en |