Abstract
Background
Smoking is one of the leading causes of death, although there are several strategies for quitting smoking. Anxiety and depression can hinder this process.
Objective
To assess levels of anxiety and depression in smokers, adjusting the values for possible confounding variables such as sex, age, schooling, and socioeconomic status.
Method
Cross-sectional study, the sample included 444 subjects were assessed for smoking history, anxiety levels and depression by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and characterized according to the socioeconomic profile.
Results
An association was found between smoking and anxiety (p=0.003) and between smoking and depression (p≤ 0.001) even after adjustments for confounding factors (Smoking and anxiety: OR Sex: 2.01; OR Age: 2.56; OR Schooling: 2.25; OR Socioeconomic level: 2.26; Smoking and Depression: OR Sex: 4.80; OR Age: 3.13; OR Schooling: 1.82; OR Socioeconomic level: 1.81).
Conclusion
The study showed that smokers present high anxiety and depression.
Keywords:
tobacco; anxiety; mental health; psychological; depression