Increased subjective and reinforcing effects of initial nicotine exposure in young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to matched peers: results from an experimental model of first-time tobacco use

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms, Smoking Initiation, and Social Integration among Adolescents

This observational, longitudinal study's purpose was to investigate whether social network integration has a moderating effect on smoking initiation among those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative longitudinal dataset. Social network and smoking data were collected in schools, with a 6-year follow-up that included ADHD symptoms and reported smoking. Social integration was measured as peer friendship nominations (degree) and the influence of an individual on the entire social network (centrality). Multilevel logistic regression found a main effect for ADHD symptoms and low numbers of friendship nominations on smoking initiation, but social network measures were not significant moderators of the relationship between ADHD symptoms and smoking initiation among adolescents. Further investigation of the drivers of smoking initiation among those with ADHD is warranted.

An application of the stress-diathesis model: A review about the association between smoking tobacco, smoking cessation, and mental health

Background

Worldwide, approximately 24% of all adults smoke, but smoking is up to twice as prevalent in people with mental ill-health. There is growing evidence that smoking may be a causal risk factor in the development of mental illness, and that smoking cessation leads to improved mental health.

Methods

In this scholarly review we have: (1) used a modern adaptation of the Bradford-Hill criteria to bolster the argument that smoking could cause mental ill-health and that smoking cessation could reverse these effects, and (2) by considering psychological, biological, and environmental factors, we have structured the evidence to-date into a stress-diathesis model.

Results

Our model suggests that smoking is a psychobiological stressor, but that the magnitude of this effect is mediated and modulated by the individual's diathesis to develop mental ill-health and other vulnerability and protective factors. We explore biological mechanisms that underpin the model, such as tobacco induced damage to neurological systems and oxidative stress pathways. Furthermore, we discuss evidence indicating that it is likely that these systems repair after smoking cessation, leading to better mental health.

Conclusion

Based on a large body of literature including experimental, observational, and novel causal inference studies, there is consistent evidence showing that smoking can negatively affect the brain and mental health, and that smoking cessation could reverse the mental ill-health caused by smoking. Our model suggests that smoking prevention and treatment strategies have a role in preventing and treating mental illness as well as physical illness.

An Examination of the Role of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo as a Moderator of the Relationship Between ADHD and Nicotine Use

OBJECTIVE

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by executive dysfunction and functional impairments including nicotine consumption. Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) has been associated with ADHD and posited as an independent construct. The present study hypothesized that SCT would moderate the relationships between ADHD and nicotine-related behaviors.

METHOD

Participants (n = 309) were recruited using Mechanical Turk and completed measures of ADHD symptoms, SCT, and smoking history.

RESULTS

ADHD was associated with age of initiation of smoking and more severe withdrawal symptoms for both combustible and electronic cigarettes. SCT significantly moderated the relationship between ADHD and withdrawal symptom severity (both electronic and combustible cigarettes).

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study suggest that SCT plays an important role in the complex relationship between ADHD and smoking withdrawal. Future research should further explore the construct of SCT to better understand its role in psychopathology and intervention strategies.

Smoking-Specific Risk Factors in Early Adulthood That Mediate Risk of Daily Smoking by Age 29 for Children with ADHD

OBJECTIVE

To test whether smoking-specific risk factors in early adulthood mediate prediction to daily smoking from childhood ADHD.

METHODS

Participants were 237 with and 164 without childhood ADHD. A smoking risk profile score comprising smoking-specific factors measured between ages 18 to 25 (e.g., craving severity) and age of initiation was tested as mediator of the association between childhood ADHD and age 29 daily smoking.

RESULTS

Childhood ADHD predicted age 29 smoking (β = -.15, p = .019), 35% of ADHD versus 17% of nonADHD, and the profile score (β = -.07, p = .004), which in turn mediated prediction to age 29 daily smoking (β = -.03; p = .007). When tested individually, three profile variables (# cigarettes/day, difficulty concentrating during abstinence, and nicotine dependence) were significant mediators (ps = 0.005-0.038), above and beyond early adult smoking, ADHD persistence, and delinquency.

CONCLUSIONS

These behavioral smoking characteristics help explain later daily cigarette smoking for adults with ADHD histories and may need to be targeted in intervention.

Association between e-cigarette use and parents' report of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among US youth

INTRODUCTION

There is paucity of literature that evaluates e-cigarette use rates among the youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study is to compare the rates of cigarette only, e-cigarette only, dual use, and initiation age of regular use and trying to quit cigarettes or e-cigarettes among the youth with and without ADHD.

METHODS

We used Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study Wave 3 (2015–2016) youth data, a nationally representative cross-sectional study in the US. The main outcome was tobacco use status of youth and ADHD diagnosis was based on parent report.

RESULTS

The survey included 11801 youth (50%, 12–14 years; 49% female). Compared to youth without ADHD, the relative risk ratio (RRR) was 1.79 (95% CI: 1.02–3.21) for cigarette only use, 1.41 (95% CI: 1.01–2.21) for e-cigarette only use, 3.40 (95% CI: 1.69–6.84) for dual use, 1.75 (95% CI: 0.92–3.35) for cigarette and other product(s) use, 1.48 (95% CI: 0.58–3.77) for e-cigarette and other product(s) use, and 3.37 (95% CI: 1.88–6.17) for poly use among youth with ADHD, after adjusting for age group, sex, and race/ethnicity.

CONCLUSIONS

Cigarette only use, e-cigarette only use, dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and poly use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and other product(s) were significantly associated with parent report of an ADHD diagnosis. It is critical for healthcare providers to be screening youth for e-cigarette use, especially youth who are diagnosed with ADHD.

The Utility of the CPT in the Diagnosis of ADHD in Individuals with Substance Abuse: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Early identification of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) is important because ADHD has an adverse effect on the development and course of SUD. Given the limited validity of self-report measures of ADHD in individuals with SUD, it is important to investigate the utility of the continuous performance test (CPT) in classifying ADHD in adults with SUD.

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to examine the quantitative similarities and differences in CPT performance of adults with ADHD, SUD, and their comorbidity to determine if a distinct neurocognitive profile exists for each.

METHOD

A systematic review of CPT studies that included patients with the comorbidity of ADHD and SUD and a comparison group of one of the disorders alone was conducted. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used.

RESULTS

Eight studies were identified with sample sizes ranging from n = 17 to n = 386. The comorbidity of ADHD and SUD was, mostly, not associated with higher rates of commission and omission errors than either disorder alone. However, the comorbidity of ADHD and SUD was more likely to be associated with increased deficits in response time variability compared with individuals with ADHD alone.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights the shortage of large-scale CPT research involving patients with ADHD and SUD. The CPT might be sensitive to attentional deficits, but it lacks specificity for the classification of adult ADHD, SUD, or their comorbidity, and the CPT is thus not useful in discriminating comorbid ADHD and SUD from either disorder alone. Future CPT research should explore whether specific attentional deficits account for the development and persistence of SUD. Such research should also reach beyond traditional CPT measures and include other cognitive and behavioral deficits that were associated with ADHD, such as distractibility and hyperactivity.