Abstract
Objective: Expectancies about nicotine's ability to alleviate negative mood states may play a role in the relationship between smoking and depression. The authors examined the role of negative affect regulation expectancies as a potential mediator of depression (history of depression and depressive symptoms) and smoking among college students. Participants and Methods: As part of a larger study, 315 undergraduate smokers completed a 296-item survey from January to May of 2001 and 2002. Results: Cross-sectional analyses revealed that negative affect regulation expectancies fully mediated the positive relationship between depressive symptoms and level of smoking. Conclusions: Although depressive symptoms are associated with higher levels of tobacco smoking, the expectation that smoking will reduce negative emotions is 1 factor that accounts for this relationship.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 507-512 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of American College Health |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2009 |
Keywords
- College students
- Depression
- Negative affect regulation
- Tobacco smoking