Examining the Relationship Between PTSD Symptomatology and Cigarette Smoking Among Ohio Army National Guard Soldiers

Abstract

Evidence suggests that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases risk for cigarette smoking in civilian and military populations. There is limited evidence about this relationship among National Guard, a group that may be at higher risk of behavioral health concerns compared to Active Component. The current study used cross-sectional data from a clinical subsample of soldiers (N = 455) from the Ohio Army National Guard Mental Health Initiative. Soldiers completed self-report and clinician-rated measures, including demographics, smoking status and intensity, and PTSD. Logistic and multinomial regression methods were used to explore the association between PTSD symptomatology and smoking. Higher PTSD symptom severity was modestly associated with an increased likelihood of being a current (β = 0.02, p = 0.049, OR = 1.02) and heavy smoker (β = 0.04, p = 0.003, OR = 1.04). Reporting more dysphoria or hyperarousal symptoms was modestly associated with an increased likelihood of being a heavy smoker (β = 0.04, p = 0.001, OR = 1.05; β = 0.03, p = 0.03, OR = 1.03). Those with greater PTSD severity are more likely to smoke and have more difficulty quitting; this may have implications for efforts to mitigate the burden of PTSD and smoking among National Guard personnel.