Frequency of Cigarette Smoking Among Psychiatric InpatientsEvaluated by the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence

Background: In this study our aim was to determine the rate of smoking in a sample of psychiatric in-patientswith diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression and to examine factors related to smokingstatus and the level of dependence in this population. Materials and
Methods: A total of 160 people were includedin this descriptive study. 80 were inpatients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression and 80people without any psychiatric diagnoses were included as a control group. The participants were interviewedface-to face using a semi-structured questionnaire and Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence was used todefine smoking habits.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 37.24±12.19 years ranging from 18 to 81years, 54.4% of the participants were (n=87) female, and 45.6% cases (n=73) were male. 70% (n=56) of thepatients and 55% of the control group were smoking and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.01).Total score of Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence in the patient group was statistically significantly higherthan in the control group (p<0.01).
Conclusions: In our sample, the frequency of cigarette smoking and nicotinedependence among psychiatric inpatients was high, posing a high risk for smoking related diseases includingcancers; therefore there should be counseling on tobacco control and smoking cessation programming targetingthis population.