Gender differences in association with substance use diagnoses and smoking.

Abstract

Alcohol and drug use disorders are highly comorbid with tobacco use. Given the substantial health risks associated with concurrent substance use and smoking, there is a clinical need to identify factors that confer heightened risk for their cause. This investigation examined gender-specific associations between smoking behaviors with current alcohol and drug use diagnoses. Data were derived from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N = 42,565). Relationships between smoking status and DSM-IV current alcohol and drug use diagnoses by gender were assessed in terms of odds ratios using regressions. The presence of current alcohol or drug diagnoses increased the odds of being a daily, occasional, or former smoker, and gender was found to moderate these associations. Overall, women with a current alcohol use disorder had greater odds of being a daily or occasional smoker compared with men (odds ratio [OR], 3.52 versus 2.93; 5.22 versus 3.56). Women with a drug use diagnosis had greater odds of being a daily smoker compared with men (OR, 6.54 versus 4.63) and similar odds of being an occasional smoker (OR, 4.48 versus 4.51). The results of this study highlight gender-specific patterns of comorbidity, which may contribute to more focused primary and secondary prevention efforts.