Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Predict Nicotine Dependence and Progression to Regular Smoking from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between retrospectively reported attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and progression to smoking and the association with nicotine dependence. METHODS: Study sample consisted of a nationally representative cohort of U.S. adolescents (n = 13,494). Logistic regression was used to examine ADHD symptoms from both the inattentive (IN) and hyperactive-impulsive (HI) domains and smoking trajectories. Linear regression was used to examine nicotine dependence. RESULTS: HI symptoms were associated with progression from nonsmoking to regular smoking (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.07-1.21), and with progression from experimentation to regular smoking (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.08-1.26). IN and HI symptoms were associated with nicotine dependence among current smokers (IN: beta = 0.17, SE = 0.03, p < 0.0001; HI: beta = 0.10, SE = 0.04., p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: These results have important implications for the development of prevention and treatment modalities.