DSM-IV psychiatric disorders and cigarette smoking among adolescents living in Puerto Rico

A sample of 911 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years living in Puerto Rico during the years 1999 to 2000 permitted an investigation of the relationship between DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses (18% prevalence rate) and cigarette smoking (12% prevalence rate). The prevalence rates for any disruptive disorder were 10%, followed by any anxiety disorder (8%), and any mood disorder (5%). Regarding specific psychiatric disorders, the prevalence rates were highest for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at 6% of the sample, followed by oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) at (5%) and major depression disorder (MDD) at (4%). Social phobia and separation anxiety disorder were each diagnosed at a rate of 3%, while post traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder and dysthymia each occurred at a rate of 1%.; Adolescents aged 16 or older were more likely to report ever smoking than those 15 years or younger. Proportionally, more females were occasional smokers, while more males were experimenters. Having ever smoked a cigarette was associated with having any psychiatric disorder. Adolescents who ever smoked had a higher prevalence of any psychiatric disorder than non-smoking adolescents. Adolescents who ever smoked were more likely to have a diagnosis of any disruptive disorder, and ever smokers had a higher prevalence of any mood disorder than the no smokers group.; The results from the logistic regression showed that adolescents having any mood disorder, after adjusting by gender and age were more likely to be ever smokers than adolescents with no mood disorders; the same held true for any disruptive disorder and any psychiatric disorder.; In this manner, the study breaks new ground in providing data on cigarette smoking and psychiatric disorders among Puerto Rican adolescents living on the island. Implications of the study's findings for the development of prevention and intervention strategies are discussed. Future directions in research are also recommended.