A Study of Mental Health and Dyadic Adjustment Between Smokers and Nonsmokers

BACKGROUND The mental health and dyadic adjustment of smokers is a matter of serious concern which brings many demerits on mental health as well as physical heath. OBJECTIVES This study was performed to ascertain the relationship between mental health and dyadic adjustment of smokers and nonsmokers in Zahedan. PATIENTS AND METHODS The sample size consisted of 100 smokers and 100 nonsmokers selected through accessible sampling method. The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) were used to collect the data. Pearson correlation, stepwise regression, and independent "t-test" were applied to analyze the data. RESULTS Results revealed that physical symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression sub-scales, as well as total scores of mental health negatively correlated with dyadic adjustment. Stepwise regression showed the following results: in the total sample, physical symptoms accounted for 22.7% of the variance in dyadic adjustment; also in the total sample, physical symptoms and social dysfunction together explained 24.5% of the variance in dyadic adjustment; social dysfunction accounted for 30%, anxiety for 3.7%, depression for 7% and overall mental health for 3.5% of the variance in dyadic adjustment in the smokers' sample. Results demonstrated that physical symptoms explained 15.9% of the variance in dyadic adjustment in the nonsmokers' sample. Results further revealed that the mean scores of physical symptoms and anxiety sub-scales, and the total scores of the mental health of smokers were greater than those of nonsmokers. However, no significant differences appeared between the two groups on social dysfunction and depression. Finally, the research revealed that the mean scores of dyadic adjustment were greater for nonsmokers than for smokers. CONCLUSIONS The research revealed that nonsmokers showed better mental health and dyadic adjustment than smokers, thus suggesting that smoking endangers and can impair the tranquility of families and that smoking also threatens the dyadic adjustment of couples.