The association between tobacco smoking and reported psychiatric symptoms in an adolescent population in the United Arab Emirates

In this study the relationship between cigarette smoking and certain elements of psychiatric morbidity, especially anxiety and depressive symptoms, was investigated among a sample of adolescents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The sample of the study consisted of 473 male secondary school students in the city of Ras Al-Kheima, UAE. Mean age of participants was 16.67 (SD = 1.07). They completed the Arabic version of the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) as well as other demographic information. Data analysis, using one-way ANOVA, revealed significantly higher reported symptoms by smokers compared with those who never smoked and those who started and stopped. The difference between those who smoked and stopped and those who never smoked was also significant.