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Childhood antecedents of being a cigarette smoker in early adulthood. The Finnish ‘From a Boy to a Man’ Study
Author(s) -
Niemelä Solja,
Sourander André,
Pilowsky Daniel J.,
Susser Ezra,
Helenius Hans,
Piha Jorma,
Kumpulainen Kirsti,
Moilanen Irma,
Tamminen Tuula,
Almqvist Fredrik
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01968.x
Subject(s) - rutter , psychology , psychopathology , depression (economics) , cohort , early childhood , population , childhood depression , psychiatry , strengths and difficulties questionnaire , clinical psychology , child psychopathology , cohort study , pediatrics , developmental psychology , mental health , demography , medicine , cognition , pathology , economics , macroeconomics , sociology
Objective: To identify childhood psychiatric symptoms as antecedents of cigarette smoking at age 18. Methods: In 1989, a general population sample of 2946 8‐year‐old boys born in Finland in 1981 was assessed using the Rutter’s parent and teacher questionnaires, and the Child Depression Inventory. This birth cohort was followed up in 1999, when the subjects reported for their obligatory military service at age 18. Information about cigarette smoking frequency was obtained from 78% ( n = 2307) of the boys attending the study in 1989. Results: Childhood hyperactivity and self‐reported depressive symptoms correlated with moderate daily (1–10 cigarettes), and heavy daily (>10 cigarettes) smoking at age 18. Conduct problems correlated with heavy daily smoking. A high level of childhood depressive symptoms, particularly in conjunction with a low educational level of the father, increased the risk of daily smoking. Emotional problems decreased the risk of smoking at age 18. In general, teacher reports had a better predictive power than parent reports for subsequent smoking. Conclusion: Future developmental studies with special focus on interaction between individual and environmental factors are warranted to reveal the mechanisms underlying the association between childhood psychopathology and adult smoking. In particular, the associations between childhood depression and future smoking need more clarification.