Depressed versus nondepressed young adult tobacco users: Differences in coping style, weight concerns, and exercise level

Undergraduates age 18 to 24 years (n = 656) completed questionnaires assessing tobacco use, depressive symptoms, coping responses, weight concerns, and exercise. The majority of participants were female (72%), White/ non-Hispanic (95%), and in the 1st or 2nd year of college (80%). Current tobacco users (n = 236) had a higher frequency of depression (40%) than never tobacco users (32%; p = .05). Tobacco users classified as depressed (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] score ≥ 16) reported greater weight concerns and more frequent maladaptive coping in response to negative mood than tobacco users classified as nondepressed (CES-D score < 16). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that higher maladaptive coping and lower level of exercise were significantly associated with depression among tobacco users.