Nicotine Dependence in Outpatients with Major Depressive, Anxiety and Somatoform Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study from Turkey


Egri M., Ozcan M. E., Cumurcu B. E., KURÇER M. A.

NEUROLOGY PSYCHIATRY AND BRAIN RESEARCH, vol.15, no.1, pp.33-38, 2008 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 15 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2008
  • Journal Name: NEUROLOGY PSYCHIATRY AND BRAIN RESEARCH
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.33-38
  • Bursa Uludag University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Aim: There is a positive association between smoking and psychiatric disorders. As the relationship between smoking and major depressive disorder (MDD), and anxiety disorders (AD), and somatoform disorders (SD) among psychiatric outpatients in Turkey is not well established, the authors aimed to study this relationship in a cross-sectional study. Methods: Data was obtained from 507 Outpatients who met DSM-IV criteria for either MDD (n=110), or one of AD (287), or SD (I 10) at a university psychiatry clinic, in Turkey. Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) was administered to all patients enrolled in the Study to determine degree of nicotine dependence. Results: The majority of the sample (72.2%) was female. The mean age was 35.8 +/- 12.4 years and ranged from 17 to 72 years. Overall, 183 subjects (36.1%) were current smokers with significant differences in prevalence rates by gender, (43.9%) among males and (33.8%) among females (chi 2: 4.463, p<0.05). Distribution of total current smokers according to groups was as follows: 49 (44.5%) in MDD group, 104 (36.3%) in AD group, and 30 (27.3%) in SD group. Smoking rate was significantly lower in SD group compared to other groups (p=0.0284). The difference between MDD patients and other groups was statistically significant (p=0.0038). Conclusion: Smoking is more prevalent among males compared to females, and among MDD and AD groups campared to SD group. Nicotine dependence is more severe in MDD group compared to AD and SD groups.