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Examines the relationship between depressive mood and cigarette smoking among a sample of 123 adolescent males and 82 adolescent females. Finds an independent relation of depressive mood, friends' smoking behavior, and living in a single-parent home. Concludes that depressive mood and stress may contribute to the onset of smoking. (FMW)

Objectives. In this study we examined the relationship between occupational status and smoking habits in men and women during the period from 1977 to 1990. Methods. Cigarette smoking occupational history were obtained from 8045 men and women who served as controls for a hospital-based study of tobacco-related diseases. Results. There was an association between increasing occupational status and tobacco exposure in men, but not in women. The quit rate increased over time in all sex-occupational groups except for male laborers, whose quit rate remained constant. Nicotine-dependent smokers are likely to find it difficult to quit. Male nicotine-dependent smokers were consistently found in greater numbers among blue collar workers throughout the study period. Initially, female nicotine-dependent smokers were more often found among blue collar workers, but in recent years became more frequent among with collar workers. Conclusion. These trends Provide clues to the future epidemiological distribution of lung cancer and other tobacco-related diseases. An understanding,of gender differences in the occupational profile of cigarette smokers can provide guidelines for effective antismoking interventions. (Am J Public Health. 1992;82: 1230-1234)

A group of individuals drawn from three different areas of St. Louis, Missouri were involved in a survey to examine the relationship between depression and cigarette smoking. The epidemiological catchment areas that were used included urban, suburban and rural areas, so that the subject profiles would be similar to those in the general national population. Results from 3,213 subjects were included in this report. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule was used to collect demographic information and cigarette use history, and contained sections designed to investigate whether the subject had ever suffered major depressive disorders. An association between the rate of cigarette smoking and the presence of symptoms indicative of a major depressive illness was found. Some data suggest that when certain individuals who have a history of major depressive disorder stop smoking, serious depression may follow. The increase in rate of smoking of depressed individuals may also help explain why groups of individuals with major depressive illnesses have a high mortality. While smoking was related to major depression, a similar relationship was not found between smoking and other forms of psychiatric illness. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)