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Nicotine & Tobacco Research Advance Access originally published online on July 24, 2009
Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2009 11(9):1107-1113; doi:10.1093/ntr/ntp108
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Nicotine dependence and psychiatric disorders among young males in Singapore

Mythily Subramaniam, Christopher Cheok, I-Min Lee, Elaine Pek, Swapna Verma, John Wong and Siow A. Chong

Mythily Subramaniam, M.B.B.S., M.D., Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore
Christopher Cheok, M.B.B.S., M.M.E.D., Psychological Care Centre, Singapore
I-Min Lee, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., Sc.D., Department of Epidemiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Elaine Pek, M.H.S.M., Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore
Swapna Verma, M.B.B.S., M.D., Department of Early Psychosis Intervention, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore
John Wong, M.B.B.S., M.M.E.D., M.Sc., F.A.M.S., HQ SAF Medical Corps, Singapore
Siow Ann Chong, M.B.B.S., M.M.E.D., M.D., F.A.M.S., Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore

Corresponding Author: Mythily Subramaniam, Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Buangkok Green Medical Park, 10 Buangkok View, Singapore 539747. Telephone: +63892579; Fax: +63150548; E-mail: mythily_submaniam{at}imh.com.sg


  Abstract

Introduction: While the risk for a number of medical illnesses is well established for those who smoke, the risk for psychiatric disorders is not so well studied in Singapore.

Objectives: This study sought to establish the lifetime prevalence of nicotine dependence in a population of young males in Singapore and to establish its relationship with other psychiatric disorders.

Methods: The study was conducted among a cohort of males reporting for their mandatory physical examination prior to their enlistment for National Service in a 1-year period between August 2004 and August 2005. Definitive diagnoses in accordance with DSM-IV criteria were made with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI).

Results: In the population of 9,702 males assessed by CIDI, the prevalence of nicotine dependence was 12.3%. Academic attainments were significantly poorer in those with nicotine dependence than those without dependence. Nicotine dependence was most strongly associated with delusional disorder and major depressive disorder, which remained even after adjusting for ethnicity and educational attainments (odds ratio [OR] of 59.8 for delusional disorder and OR of 36.3 for major depressive disorder).

Discussion: Our study highlights the pervasive extent of nicotine dependence among a population of young men. The pervasiveness of nicotine dependence across different psychiatric disorders suggests either a shared biological substrate or a common consequence of these disorders.

Received: November 13, 2008; Accepted: April 23, 2009
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