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Using longitudinal data collected over a 10-year period, researchers found a correlation between nicotine use and anxiety levels in youth. Adolescents who smoked daily and had high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms were almost twice as likely to become nicotine dependent in young adulthood compared to those with lower levels of anxiety. Similarly, adolescents who were less than daily smokers but had high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms also had an increased risk of nicotine dependence in young adulthood. In summary, adolescent smokers with depression and anxiety symptoms are at a higher risk for nicotine dependence later in life. Hi, I'm Aiden Henderson from Middleton, Wisconsin. The topic for today is whether or not the use of nicotine and anxiety levels in youth are correlated. To help answer this question, researchers used a longitudinal data that included an eight-wave data collection from a sample of adolescents and young adults over a 10-year period. At each wave, data was collected on behaviors and mental health-related topics. In waves one through six, participants self-administrated the questionnaire, while waves seven and eight, data was collected via computer-assisted phone calls. After data was collected and analyzed, they found that among adolescents who were, quote-unquote, less than daily smokers with high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms had an increased risk of reporting a nicotine dependence in young adulthood compared to young adults who had low levels of adolescent and depression and anxiety symptoms. Also among adolescents who smoked daily showed high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms and had almost two-fold increase in the odds of reporting nicotine dependence in young adulthood compared to young adults with low levels of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms. In conclusion, adolescent smokers who had symptoms of depression and anxiety are at much higher risk for nicotine dependence into young adulthood.