From cigarettes to symptoms: the association between smoking and depression in the German National Cohort (NAKO)
Our findings support an association between smoking and depression. Robust dose-response relationships were found, with higher cigarette consumption associated with more severe depressive symptoms, and longer time since cessation linked to lower depression levels. These results highlight smoking as a meaningful and modifiable contributor to current and lifetime depression, suggesting that quitting smoking or reducing cigarette consumption may benefit mental health. Early prevention of smoking initiation, along with integrated approaches that combine smoking cessation support with mental health care, may help reduce both smoking rates and depression burden.
Authors
- Karin Halina Greiser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3213-8285)
- Klaus Peter Berger
- Ute Mons (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1764-6783)
- Sabine Schipf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2700-5317)
- Josef Frank (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4867-9465)
- Claudia Meinke‐Franze (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6137-9702)
- Emanuel Schwarz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0261-5063)
- Patricia Bohmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0931-8651)
- Carolina Judith Klett-Tammen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9685-5369)
- Heiko Becher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8808-6667)
- Achim G. Beule (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1622-6077)
- Bernhard T. Baune (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6548-426X)
- Michael F. Leitzmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0371-2789)
- Hans Jörgen Grabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3684-4208)
- Börge Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6948-7273)
- Volker Harth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4308-223X)
- Matthias Bernd Schulze (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0830-5277)
- Alexander Pabst (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0432-5681)
- Michael Wagner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2589-6440)
- Stephanie H. Witt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1571-1468)
- Jutta Mata (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2498-5054)
- Iris Reinhard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8215-1678)
- Angelika Erhardt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2840-7633)
- Steffi Gerlinde Riedel-Heller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-6090)
- Nadia Obi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0903-9142)
- Jerome C. Foo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1067-5725)
- Chiara Callies
- Lea Zillich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7457-374X)
- Hermann Brenner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6129-1572)
- Johanna Klinger-König (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2287-7914)
- Maja P. Völker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6842-9386)
- Lilian Krist (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6089-5163)
- Fabian Streit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1080-4339)
- André Karch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3014-8543)
- Katharina Nimptsch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7877-205X)
- Tobias Pischon
- Claudia Trenkwalder
- Thomas Keil
- Rafael Mikolajczyk
Institutions
- Halle Institute for Economic Research (DE)
- University of Alberta (CA)
- Universität Hamburg (DE)
- University of Freiburg (DE)
- University of Potsdam (DE)
- University of Mannheim (DE)
- German Cancer Research Center (DE)
- Max Delbrück Center (DE)
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- University of Münster (DE)
- University of Würzburg (DE)
- Universitätsmedizin Greifswald (DE)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE)
- University Hospital Heidelberg (DE)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- University Hospital Münster (DE)
- Central Institute of Mental Health (DE)
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE)
- Nephrologisches Zentrum Goettingen (DE)
- Essen University Hospital (DE)
- Paracelsus Elena Klinik Kassel (DE)
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (DE)
- Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (CA)
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (DE)
- University Medical Centre Mannheim (DE)
- German Institute of Human Nutrition (DE)
- University of Regensburg (DE)
- University of Duisburg-Essen (DE)
- FH Münster University of Applied Sciences (DE)
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE)
- Freie Universität Berlin (DE)
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
- Leipzig University (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Public Health
- Published
- 2025-12-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-25959-0
- Primary Topic
- Smoking Behavior and Cessation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
- Hector Stiftung
- Hector Stiftung II
- Leibniz-Gemeinschaft