Affiliation:
1. School of Psychology, Centre for Studies of Psychological Applications, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Educational Science South China Normal University Guangzhou China
2. Department of Psychiatry University of Oxford Oxford UK
3. Department of Social Psychiatry The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital) Guangzhou China
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundPrevious literature supports that tobacco smoking and second‐hand smoking (SHS) exposure were strongly associated with poor mental health in the general population. However, there is a lack of empirical data on the relationship between tobacco smoking, SHS exposure and psychotic‐like experiences (PLEs). This study conducted a cross‐sectional survey to explore PLEs and the associations of PLEs with tobacco smoking and SHS exposure among adolescents in China.MethodsA total sample of 67 182 Chinese adolescents were recruited from Guangdong province in China (53.7% boys, mean age = 12.79 years) from December 17 to 26, 2021. All adolescents have completed self‐reported questionnaires on demographic characteristics, smoking status, SHS exposure and PLEs.ResultsWithin the sample, only 1.2% of participants had an experience of tobacco smoking while approximately three‐fifths reported being exposed to SHS. 10.7% of adolescents reported frequent PLEs over the past month. Adolescents who smoked showed a higher prevalence of PLEs than in non‐smoking samples. After controlling for confounders, SHS exposure was a robust risk factor for PLEs with or without the effect of tobacco smoking.DiscussionThese findings support the importance of smoke‐free legislation, and anti‐smoking measures in educational settings directed at both adolescents and their caregiver, which may decrease occurring rates of PLEs among adolescents.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Subject
Biological Psychiatry,Psychiatry and Mental health,Pshychiatric Mental Health