On the development of nicotine dependence in adolescence

Abstract

Little is known about the natural history of drug dependence. This article describes the development and predictors of DSM-IV nicotine dependence in adolescence when tobacco use is initiated. In a two-stage design, a survey was administered to 6th-10th graders in the Chicago Public Schools to select a cohort of adolescents. Household interviews were conducted with adolescents five times and with one parent (predominantly mothers) three times over two years. The analytical sample includes 353 youths, who started using tobacco within 12 months preceding Wave 1 or between Waves 1-5. Survival analysis estimated latency to individual DSM-IV nicotine dependence criteria and the full dependence syndrome. Twenty-five percent of youths experienced the syndrome within 23 months of tobacco use onset. Tolerance, impaired control and withdrawal were experienced most frequently. Youths who experienced full dependence experienced their first symptom faster after tobacco use onset than those who experienced only one criterion through the end of the observation period. Cox proportional hazards models estimated the importance of time-constant and time-varying sociodemographic, tobacco and other drug use, parental and peer smoking, social psychological and biological risk factors for experiencing the first criterion and the full syndrome. Pleasant initial sensitivity to tobacco and number of cigarettes smoked the prior month predicted both outcomes. Parental dependence predicted the full syndrome. Significant covariates were generally the same across gender and racial/ethnic subgroups. The predictive significance of the initial smoking experience and parental dependence highlight the potential importance of genetic factors in the etiology of nicotine dependence.

Waterpipe Use and Cognitive Susceptibility to Cigarette Smoking Among Never-Cigarette Smoking Jordanian Youth: Analysis of the 2009 Global Youth Tobacco Survey

“…18 Second, girls seem more prone to early signs of nicotine dependence than boys. 24,25 While a number of studies suggested that initial symptoms of nicotine dependence for youth can appear soon after smoking initiation, [26][27][28] some studies reported that adolescent smokers may show signs of nicotine dependence even when their smoking rates are low and intermittent, 25 with girls developing signs of nicotine dependence more quickly after initiating tobacco use than boys. 24 Therefore, once WP experimentation and initiation has started, never-cigarette smoking girls may develop a cognitive susceptibility faster than their boys' counterparts.…”

Sensitivity to Secondhand Smoke Exposure Predicts Future Smoking Susceptibility

“…In particular, we examined whether reported reactivity to exposure to SHS in high-risk preteens predicts susceptibility to cigarette smoking. Subjective reactivity to the first smoked cigarette has been shown to predict risk for tobacco dependence 26,43 and to be have some genetic basis. 23,24 Both longitudinal and cross-sectional investigation showed that experiencing SHS as "unpleasant or gross" is protective against smoking susceptibility, suggesting that it may reflect a mechanism for targeted prevention efforts.…”

DSM-IV nicotine dependence symptom characteristics for recent-onset smokers

“…More recently, surveys of large nationally representative populations have substantially expanded inclusion criteria for the administration of nicotine dependence items allowing for more careful consideration of the early emerging aspects of dependence Kandel, Hu, Griesler, & Schaffran, 2007).…”