Depressive symptoms and smokers' perceptions of lung cancer risk: Moderating effects of tobacco dependence

Smokers who acknowledge the personal health risks of smoking are more likely to attempt quitting. Unfortunately, many smokers are unrealistically optimistic about their health risks. Depressed smokers, however, may be more realistic about their risks. These studies examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and risk perceptions among two groups: college-age smokers (N = 128) and smokers from the nationally representative HINTS database (N = 1,246). In the college sample, among highly tobacco dependent smokers, more depressed smokers believed more strongly that quitting eliminates lung cancer risk (b = − .27, p = .01), and they estimated a faster reversal of risk after quitting (b = − .70, p = .03). In the HINTS sample, among highly tobacco dependent women, the more depressed they were, the higher their perceived risk of developing lung cancer (b = .23, p = .05). In sum, depressive symptoms among some smokers may lead to heightened risk perceptions. However the belief that quitting can reduce risk quickly might encourage smokers to postpone quitting. Cessation programs could benefit from tailoring their programs accordingly.