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Reciprocal associations between smoking cessation and depression in older smokers: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Reciprocal associations between smoking cessation and depression in older smokers: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Shahab, Lion, Gilchrist, Gail, Hagger-Johnson, Gareth, Shankar, Aparna, West, Elizabeth and West, Robert (2015) Reciprocal associations between smoking cessation and depression in older smokers: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 207 (3). pp. 243-249. ISSN 0007-1250 (Print), 1472-1465 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.153494)

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Abstract

Background:
Depression is a particular problem in older people and it is important to know how it affects and is affected by smoking cessation.

Aims:
To identify reciprocal, longitudinal relationships between smoking cessation and depression among older smokers.

Method:
Across four waves, covering six years (2002–2008), changes in smoking status and depression, measured using the 8-item Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, were assessed among recent ex-smokers and smokers (n = 2375) in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Results:
In latent growth curve analysis, smoking at baseline predicted depression caseness longitudinally and vice versa. When both processes were modelled concurrently, depression predicted continued smoking longitudinally (B(β) = 0.21 (0.27); 95% CI = 0.08–0.35) but not the other way round. This was the case irrespective of mental health history and adjusting for a range of covariates.

Conclusions:
In older smokers, depression appears to act as an important barrier to quitting, although quitting has no long-term impact on depression.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence.
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Health & Society Research Group
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Health Sciences (HEA)
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2021 21:03
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/14706

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