One of the studies included surveys of 3000 high school students in Sweden. Around 80 percent of the girls who used nicotine experienced anxiety. The connections were seen for both cigarettes and white snus and e-cigarettes.
The researchers also followed around 1,500 young people in southern Sweden from junior high school to high school. Depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts were more common among young people who smoked. Girls who started using tobacco more often had increasing problems with, for example, sleep, anxiety, depression and concentration over time. There were clear differences between boys and girls.
Girls who smoke sensitive
Johanna Andersson is a doctor and doctoral student at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg:
“Girls who smoke seem to be particularly vulnerable. At the same time, we need to understand more about how snus affects mental health, not least among young girls where the use of white snus has increased so rapidly,” she says.
In addition to surveys and long-term follow-ups of adolescents, researchers are investigating how nicotine affects brain signaling. In an animal study , published in the journal Neuropharmacology, the researchers found that nicotine affects the amygdala, a brain area important for emotion regulation and stress. The effects are most pronounced in female rats.
Nicotine causes long-lasting changes
Nicotine alters communication between nerve cells and causes long-lasting changes in brain activity even after the nicotine leaves the body.
Louise Adermark, professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, is one of the research leaders behind the studies:
– We see similar patterns in several different studies and with different types of data. But we still can't say for sure what is cause and effect. The animal studies show biological changes in the brain that could contribute to increased vulnerability to anxiety and stress-related symptoms, says Louise Adermark.
The researchers emphasize that socioeconomics, stress, alcohol, other substance use, and individual vulnerability factors also influence the risk of both mental health problems and nicotine use. At the same time, they say the findings raise questions about how new nicotine products affect young brains and whether girls may be particularly sensitive to nicotine's effects.
Source: Nicotine linked to mental health problems in young people University of Gothenburg
