Prevalence of Mental Health and Social Connection among Patients Seeking Tobacco Dependence Management: A Pilot Study

Panagis Galiatsatos (), MopeninuJesu Oluyinka, Jihyun Min, Raiza Schreiber, Dina G. Lansey, Ruth Ikpe, Manuel C. Pacheco, Victoria DeJaco, Alejandra Ellison-Barnes, Enid Neptune, Norma F. Kanarek and Thomas K. M. Cudjoe
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Panagis Galiatsatos: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
MopeninuJesu Oluyinka: The Tobacco Treatment and Cancer Screening Clinic, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Jihyun Min: The Tobacco Treatment and Cancer Screening Clinic, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Raiza Schreiber: The Tobacco Treatment and Cancer Screening Clinic, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Dina G. Lansey: Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Ruth Ikpe: Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Manuel C. Pacheco: Univeridad Tecnológica de Pereira, Universidad Visión de las Americas, Pereira 660003, Colombia
Victoria DeJaco: The Tobacco Treatment and Cancer Screening Clinic, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Alejandra Ellison-Barnes: The Tobacco Treatment and Cancer Screening Clinic, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Enid Neptune: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Norma F. Kanarek: Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Thomas K. M. Cudjoe: Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-9

Abstract: Introduction: with regards to tobacco dependence management, there are certain barriers to successful smoking cessation for patients, such as untreated anxiety and depression. Complicating the impact of mental health morbidities on tobacco dependence may be the significant portion of patients whose mental health issues and limited social connections are undiagnosed and unaddressed. We hypothesize that patients with no prior mental health diagnoses who are treated for tobacco dependence have high rates of undiagnosed mental health morbidities. Methods: patients were recruited from a tobacco treatment clinic in 2021. Every patient who came for an inaugural visit without a prior diagnosis of mental health disease was screened for depression, anxiety, social isolation and loneliness. Sociodemographic variables were collected. Results: over a 12-month period, 114 patients were seen at the tobacco treatment clinic. Of these 114 patients, 77 (67.5%) did not have a prior diagnosis of a mental health disease. The mean age was 54.3 ± 11.2 years, 52 (67.5%) were females, and 64 (83.1%) were Black/African American. The mean age of starting smoking was 19.3 ± 5.2 years, and 43 (55.8%) had never attempted to quit smoking in the past. With regards to mental health screening, 32 (41.6%) patients had a score of 9 or greater on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 9, 59 (76.6%) had a score of 7 or greater on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) 7, 67 (87.0%) were identified with social isolation and 70 (90.1%) for loneliness on screening. Conclusion: there was a high prevalence of undiagnosed mental health morbidities and social disconnection in patients who were actively smoking and were struggling to achieve smoking cessation. While a larger scale study is necessary to reaffirm these results, screening for mental health morbidities and social disconnection may be warranted in order to provide effective tobacco dependence management.

Keywords: tobacco dependence; mental health; smoking cessation; social isolation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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