Cigarette smoking in outpatients with chronic schizophrenia in Taiwan: Relationships to socio-demographic and clinical characteristics

In individuals with schizophrenia, the prevalence of cigarette smoking is significantly higher than that of the general population; this appears to be associated with specific psychosocial and clinical characteristics. Indeed, some evidence suggests an increased risk of suicide among smokers with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of smokers with schizophrenia in Taiwan. In this cross-sectional study, 95 outpatients with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia were recruited and independently interviewed for nicotine dependency with tobacco use. The effects of cigarette smoking on the various measures, especially suicidality, were investigated. The results revealed that smokers with schizophrenia had higher rates of hospitalization, lifetime suicide attempts, antipsychotic treatment side effects, psychopathology, impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and suicidal risk than non-smokers with schizophrenia. When separate analyses were conducted in male and female patients, depressive symptoms were significant predictors of suicidality among males, whereas heavy smoking, anxious symptoms, and hopelessness were significant predictors among females. From this study, we may gain insights into the role of cigarette smoking in patients of schizophrenia in Taiwan. Furthermore, cigarette smoking may influence aspects of suicidality in schizophrenia.