The Association Between Posttraumatic Stress and Cigarette Smoking From an Ethnicity and Gender Perspective: Findings From a Longitudinal Study of U.S. Adolescents.

Smoking represents a significant public health problem and exploring the factors that may influence its development in youth is of major importance. The research on adolescent populations that addresses the impact of posttraumatic stress on smoking over time, especially using ethnicity and gender perspectives, remains limited. The study was conducted on a representative sample of predominantly ethnic minority youth (N = 2596; 53.5% female; age 11-16 years old (M(SD) = 12.75(1.27)); 58.8% African-American, 25.5% Hispanic American, 13.6% White). Self-reported information was obtained on smoking, symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression in year 1 and on smoking in year 2. Generalised Linear Models were used to explore the association between posttraumatic stress in year 1 and smoking in year two in youth from the different ethnic groups, while controlling for their baseline levels of smoking, depressive symptoms, age and socio-economic status. Posttraumatic stress was related to smoking one year later, and the association remained significant while also adjusting for the baseline variables. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the association was primarily driven by smoking frequency rather than smoking quantity. The association between posttraumatic stress and smoking did not differ by gender or ethnicity, although more females than males reported smoking both at baseline and one year later, and fewer African American adolescents reported smoking, as compared to White and Hispanic American adolescents. The findings emphasize the importance of the timely recognition of traumatic exposure and may inform targeted prevention and early interventions.