Self-reported history of intensity of smoking is associated with risk factors for suicide among high school students.

Meenakshi Dasagi,Dale S Mantey,Anna V Wilkinson,Melissa B Harrell,Neal Doran

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0251099

Meenakshi Dasagi, Dale S Mantey + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251099

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: May 13, 2021
Citations: 7	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between current cigarette smoking patterns and three established risk factors for suicide using nationally representative data of high school students in the United States.MethodsWe analyzed cross-sectional data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS)–United States, 2017. Multivariable, logistic regressions examined the association between 3 cigarette smoking behaviors [i.e., past 30-day cigarette (n = 13,731), frequent (n = 1,093) and heavy (n = 880) smoking] and 3 risk factors for suicidal outcomes [feeling sad or hopeless, suicidal ideation, suicide plan] assessed over the previous year.ResultsAmong high school cigarette smokers, smoking 11 or more cigarettes per day (i.e., heavy smoking) was associated with 3.43 (95% CI: 1.69, 6.94) greater odds of reporting feeling sad or hopeless, 2.97 (95% CI: 1.60, 5.51) greater odds of reporting suicidal ideations, and 2.11 (95% CI: 1.34, 3.32) greater odds of reporting having ever planned a suicide attempt, controlling for covariates.ConclusionsOur study shows that it is not simply cigarette smoking, but heavy cigarette smoking that is a risk factor for suicidal outcomes among adolescents.Public health implicationsA comprehensive plan is needed to accommodate heavy adolescent smokers who are at increased suicidal risk.

Highlights

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals aged 10–19 years old [1]
National data reveal that the prevalence of each of these risk factors is increasing among adolescents in the United States: feelings of hopelessness increased from 26.1% in 2009 to 31.5% in 2017, suicidal ideation increased from 14.5% in 2007 to 17.2% in 2017 and planning a suicide attempt increased from 10.9% to 13.6% in 2009 to 2017 [3]
A recent systematic review found that current cigarette smokers were nearly twice as likely to report suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts compared to non-smokers [6]

Summary

Objective

Citation: Dasagi M, Mantey DS, Harrell MB, Wilkinson AV (2021) Self-reported history of intensity of smoking is associated with risk factors for suicide among high school students. PLoS ONE 16(5): e0251099. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0251099 Editor: Neal Doran, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, UNITED STATES To examine the relationship between current cigarette smoking patterns and three established risk factors for suicide using nationally representative data of high school students in the United States.

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Discussion