This study investigated the associations between obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms (OCS) and tobacco use and tobacco dependence in a... Show moreThis study investigated the associations between obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms (OCS) and tobacco use and tobacco dependence in a large community sample of adolescents. Specifically, transdiagnostic emotional vulnerability factors (i.e., anhedonia, distress tolerance and anxiety sensitivity) were explored as potential mediators of the relation between OCS and tobacco use/dependence. Weighted logistic regression models found that OCS was significantly positively associated with likelihood of tobacco use in the past six months (when suppressor variables were excluded). Similarly, zero-inflated negative binomial regression models found a significant positive relation between OCS and tobacco dependence (when suppressor variables were excluded). There was no significant weighted indirect effect via anhedonia for the OCS-Tobacco Use association, which suggests that anhedonia was not a significant mediator in this case. However, the indirect effect via anhedonia for the OCS-Tobacco Dependence association was significant at the p < .05 level, but not the adjusted p < .001 threshold (when suppressor variables were removed). The weighted indirect effect via distress tolerance for the OCS-Tobacco Use association was significant at the p < .05 level, but not the p < .001 threshold (when suppressor variables were removed). There was no significant indirect effect via distress tolerance for the OCS-Tobacco Dependence association. There was a significant weighted indirect effect via anxiety sensitivity for the OCS-Tobacco Use association (when suppressor variables were removed). There were no significant indirect effects via anxiety sensitivity for the OCS-Tobacco Dependence association. When overlapping variance was accounted for by including all three mediators simultaneously, anhedonia was still not a significant mediator of the OCS-Tobacco Use association; there were still significant indirect effects via distress tolerance and anxiety sensitivity, under specific model parameters. Our results also revealed that while Asian adolescents demonstrated lower likelihood of tobacco use compared to those who were Hispanic/Latinae, Asian youth demonstrated more severe tobacco dependence symptoms. Show less
