Suicidal ideation following self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms or serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in France: A propensity score weighted analysis from a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A higher risk of suicidal ideation associated with self-report of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-like symptoms or COVID-19 infection has been observed in cross-sectional studies, but evidence from longitudinal studies remains limited. The aims of this study were 2-fold: (1) to explore if self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020 were associated with suicidal ideation in 2021; (2) to explore if the association also existed when using a biological marker of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in 2020. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A total of 52,050 participants from the French EpiCov cohort were included (median follow-up time = 13.7 months). In terms of demographics, 53.84% were women, 60.92% were over 45 years old, 82.01% were born in mainland France from parents born in mainland France, and 59.38% completed high school. COVID-19-like symptoms were defined as participant report of a sudden loss of taste/smell or fever alongside cough, shortness of breath, or chest oppression, between February and November 2020. Symptoms were self-reported at baseline in May 2020 and at the first follow-up in Autumn 2020. Serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 was derived from Spike protein ELISA test screening in dried-blood-spot samples. Samples were collected from October 2020 to March 2021, with 94.4% collected in 2020. Suicidal ideation since December 2020 was self-reported at the second follow-up in Summer 2021. Associations of self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms and serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 with suicidal ideation in 2021 were ascertained using modified Poisson regression models, weighted by inverse probability weights computed from propensity scores. Among the 52,050 participants, 1.68% [1.54% to 1.82%] reported suicidal ideation in 2021, 9.57% [9.24% to 9.90%] had a serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020, and 13.23% [12.86% to 13.61%] reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020. Self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020 were associated with higher risks of later suicidal ideation in 2021 (Relative Riskipw [95% CI] = 1.43 [1.20 to 1.69]), while serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 was not (RRipw = 0.89 [0.70 to 1.13]). Limitations of this study include the use of a single question to assess suicidal ideation, the use of self-reported history of mental health disorders, and limited generalizability due to attrition bias. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020, but not serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020, were associated with a higher risk of subsequent suicidal ideation in 2021. The exact role of SARS-CoV-2 infection with respect to suicide risk has yet to be clarified. Including mental health resources in COVID-19-related settings could encourage symptomatic individuals to care for their mental health and limit suicidal ideation to emerge or worsen.

Moving towards a single-frame cell phone design in random digit dialing surveys: considerations from a French general population health survey.

BACKGROUND: Over the last two decades, telephone surveys based on random digit dialing have developed considerably. At the same time, however, the proportion of the population with a cell phone has increased, whereas landline frame coverage has declined, thus raising the possibility of discontinuing landline phone surveys. This paper aims to assess the impact of using a single-frame (SF) cell phone design instead of a dual-frame (DF) design with landlines and cell phones in the context of repeated health surveillance surveys in the general population. We analyze data from a random digit dialing health survey of the French population and assess differences between the DF and the counterfactual SF design that excludes the landline phone sample from the DF design. We evaluate the quality of the two survey designs in terms of survey productivity, response rates, representativeness, balancing of external covariates, and prevalence estimates of key health behavior indicators. RESULTS: Our results show that a SF cell phone survey has several advantages over a combined DF landline and cell phone survey. Cell numbers require fewer call attempts to complete an interview, leading to a substantial reduction in the mean data collection duration and weight dispersion. The global representativeness of the SF design was slightly better than its DF counterpart, although the elderly were underrepresented. After calibration, differences in health behavior estimates were small for the seven health indicators analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Switching from a DF random telephone survey to a SF cell phone design has a number of practical advantages and would have a minimal impact on general population health surveys for monitoring health behavior at the population level. However, the different aspects of the survey quality had to be studied to make a decision. Further studies are needed to explore the scope of possibilities.

Attitudes about COVID-19 Lockdown among General Population, France, March 2020.

Because the effectiveness of a coronavirus disease lockdown in curbing coronavirus disease spread depends on public support, acquiring real-time information about the way populations reacted to the lockdown is crucial. In France, such public support remained fragile among low-income persons, probably because the lockdown exacerbated preexisting social inequalities and conflicts.

Smoking Among Immigrant Groups in the United States: Prevalence, Education Gradients, and Male-to-Female Ratios.

INTRODUCTION: Immigrants in the United States are less likely to smoke than those born in the United States, but studies have not fully described the diversity of their smoking patterns. We investigate smoking by world region of birth and duration of residence in the United States, with a comprehensive approach covering current prevalence levels, education gradients, and male-to-female ratios. METHODS: The data originate from the National Health Interview Surveys, 2000-2015, and the sample of 365 404 includes both US-born and foreign-born respondents aged 25-70 years. World region of birth and duration of residence in the United States measure immigrant characteristics. Current cigarette smoking was analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: Immigrant groups were protected from smoking and had weaker education gradients in smoking and larger male-to-female smoking ratios than the US-born population. However, large differences emerged among the immigrant groups for region of birth but less so for duration of residence in the United States. For example, immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent have low prevalence, weak education gradients, and high male-to-female ratios. Immigrants from Europe have the opposite pattern, and immigrants from Latin America fall between those two extremes. CONCLUSION: The stage of the cigarette epidemic in the region of birth helps explain the diverse group profiles. Duration of residence in the United States does less to account for the differences in smoking than region of birth. The findings illustrate the heterogeneity of immigrant populations originating from diverse regions across the world and limited convergence with the host population after immigration. IMPLICATIONS: The study identifies immigrant groups that, because of high smoking prevalence related to levels in the host country, should be targeted for cessation efforts. It also identifies immigrant groups with low prevalence for which anti-smoking programs should encourage maintenance of healthy habits. Many immigrant groups show strong education disparities in smoking, further suggesting that smokers with lower levels of education be targeted by public health programs.

Increasing socioeconomic disparities in tobacco smoking decline among French adolescents (2000-2017).

BACKGROUND: This paper studies the evolution of transitions from first cigarette use to daily use by socioeconomic status (SES) among French adolescents over the course of 17 years, in a context of decreasing prevalence of tobacco use. METHODS: A total of 182 266 adolescents participated in the nationally representative ESCAPAD survey at nine different time points between 2000 and 2017. Discrete time-event analysis was used to model the transition to daily cigarette use as a function of SES, gender, age at onset and the use of other psychoactive substances. RESULTS: Although lifetime cigarette smoking and daily cigarette smoking decreased significantly over the studied time span, suggesting a positive impact of prevention policies, disadvantaged adolescents were consistently more prone to engage in daily cigarette smoking, more so in 2017 than 15 years earlier. In the same time span, transitions from initiation to daily cigarette smoking have shortened, with an accelerated pace among underprivileged adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Accelerated transitions from initiation to daily cigarette use are a prevalent trend among disadvantaged adolescents in France. Efforts to mitigate the impact of marketing strategies and to promote health literacy should be pursued to reduce social inequalities in health.

Use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis in late adolescence: roles of family living arrangement and socioeconomic group.

BACKGROUND: France has one of the highest levels in Europe for early use of legal and illegal psychoactive substances. We investigate in this country disparities in adolescent problematic substance use by family living arrangement and parental socioeconomic group. METHODS: The data used were from the 2017 nationally-representative ESCAPAD survey, conducted among 17-year-olds in metropolitan France (N = 39,115 with 97% response rate). Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated using modified Poisson regression. RESULTS: Adolescents living in non-intact families (44%) reported daily smoking, binge drinking and regular cannabis use (respectively ≥3 episodes and ≥ 10 uses in the last 30 days) much more frequently than those living in intact families (for example, the PR estimates for father single parent families were respectively 1.69 (1.55-1.84), 1.29 (1.14-1.45) and 2.31 (1.95-2.74)). Socioeconomic differences across types of families did little to explain the differential use. Distinctive socioeconomic patterns were found: a classical gradient for smoking (PR = 1.34 (1.22-1.47) for the most disadvantaged group relative to the most privileged); an inverse association for binge drinking (PR = 0.72 (0.64-0.81) for the most disadvantaged relative to the most privileged), and no significant variation for cannabis use. CONCLUSION: Our findings shed light on the consistency of the excess use of adolescents from non-intact families and on the substance-specific nature of the association with parental socioeconomic group. Preventive approaches at the population level should be complemented by more targeted strategies.

Why do apprentices smoke much more than high school students? Understanding educational disparities in smoking with a Oaxaca-blinder decomposition analysis.

BACKGROUND: Educational disparities in daily smoking begin during adolescence and can lead to educational disparities in health among adults. In particular, vocational students including apprentices have higher daily smoking rates compared to non-vocational students. This study aimed to identify the determinants of the gap in daily smoking between French apprentices and high school students aged 17 in 2008 and in 2017. METHODS: We used data from a cross-sectional repeated survey representative of all French adolescents aged 17 in 2008 and 2017. We conducted a non-linear extension of the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition technique and included the following variables: sociodemographic and familial characteristics, parental smoking, cannabis and alcohol use, suicidal attempt, grade repetition and money received. RESULTS: Daily smoking was about two times higher among French apprentices compared to high school students in 2008. This gap did not decrease between 2008 and 2017. Differences in measured characteristics between the two groups explained this gap partly, from 28.6 to 51.2%. Cannabis and alcohol use, money received and parental smoking contributed the most to the daily smoking gap. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention programs could target cannabis and alcohol use as well as parental smoking to help decrease educational disparities in smoking status among French adolescents.

Smoking among immigrant groups in metropolitan France: prevalence levels, male-to-female ratios and educational gradients.

BACKGROUND: Although the French population comprises large and diverse immigrant groups, there is little research on smoking disparities by geographical origin. The aim of this study is to investigate in this country smoking among immigrants born in either north Africa, sub-Saharan Africa or French overseas départements. METHODS: The data originate from the 2010 Health Barometer survey representative of metropolitan France. The subsample of 20,211 individuals aged 18-70 years (born either in metropolitan France or in the above-mentioned geographical regions) was analysed using logistic regression. RESULTS: Both immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa and immigrants from overseas départements were protected from smoking compared to the reference population, and the former had a distinctive strongly reversed educational gradient in both genders. Returned former settlers from the French colonies in North Africa (repatriates) had the highest smoking levels. Natives from the Maghreb (Maghrebins) showed considerable gender discordance, with men having both a higher prevalence (borderline significance) and a reversed gradient and women having lower prevalence than the reference population. CONCLUSION: Immigrants from regions of the world in stage 1 of the cigarette epidemic had relatively low smoking levels and those from regions in stage 2 had relatively high smoking levels. Some groups had a profile characteristic of late phases of the cigarette epidemic, and others, some of which long-standing residents, seemed to be positioned at its early stages. The situation for Maghrebins reflected the enduring influence of gendered norms post-migration. Based on their educational gradients, immigrants from overseas départements (particularly men) and Maghrebin women may be at risk of losing their particularly low prevalence. Immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa could retain it. In-depth analysis of smoking profiles of immigrants' groups is essential for a better targeting of smoking prevention and cessation programs.

Age Invariance of the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test in a Probabilistic Sample of Cannabis Users.

The Cannabis abuse screening test (CAST) is a short test used for screening those with problematic cannabis use. Recently, its invariance toward age was tested in an Israeli sample of cannabis users, but this study had some sample and methodological limitations: it was conducted in a volunteer sample aged 18-40 and considered the CAST items as continuous variables, although they are based on 5-point Likert scales. We thus tested the CAST invariance toward age (15-24, 25-34, and 35-64 years old) using a French probabilistic sample of 1,351 past-year cannabis users aged 15-64 and using appropriate methods for categorical items and survey weights. Factors retained (non-recreational use and problems) were the same as those mentioned in previous studies. Scalar invariance held for the "problems" factor but only partial scalar invariance was supported for the "non-recreational use" factor. Caution is thus needed when the CAST score is compared across age groups.

Alcohol and cancer: risk perception and risk denial beliefs among the French general population.

Background: Worldwide, millions of deaths each year are attributed to alcohol. We sought to examine French people's beliefs about the risks of alcohol, their correlates, and their associations with alcohol use. Methods: Data came from the 2010 Baromètre Cancer survey, a random cross-sectional telephone survey of the French general population (n = 3359 individuals aged 15-75 years). Using principal component analysis of seven beliefs about alcohol risks, we built two scores (one assessing risk denial based on self-confidence and the other risk relativization). Two multiple linear regressions explored these scores' socio-demographic and perceived information level correlates. Multiple logistic regressions tested the associations of these scores with daily drinking and with heavy episodic drinking (HED). Results: About 60% of the respondents acknowledged that alcohol increases the risk of cancer, and 89% felt well-informed about the risks of alcohol. Beliefs that may promote risk denial were frequent (e.g. 72% agreed that soda and hamburgers are as bad as alcohol for your health). Both risk denial and risk relativization scores were higher among men, older respondents and those of low socioeconomic status. The probability of daily drinking increased with the risk relativization score and that of HED with both scores. Conclusions: Beliefs that can help people to deny the cancer risks due to alcohol use are common in France and may exist in many other countries where alcoholic beverages have been an integral part of the culture. These results can be used to redesign public information campaigns about the risks of alcohol.

The Gateway Hypothesis, Common Liability to Addictions or the Route of Administration Model A Modelling Process Linking the Three Theories.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the transitions between tobacco (T), cannabis (C) and other illicit drugs (OIDs) initiations, to simultaneously explore several substance use theories: gateway theory (GT), common liability model (CLM) and route of administration model (RAM). METHODS: Data from 2 French nationwide surveys conducted in 2005 and 2010 were used (16,421 subjects aged 18-34). Using reported ages at initiations, we reconstituted a retrospective cohort describing all initiation sequences between T, C and OID. Transition probabilities between the substances were computed using a Markov multi-state model that also tested the effect of 2 latent variables (item response theory scores reflecting propensity for early onset and further substance use) on all transitions. RESULTS: T initiation was associated with increased likelihood of subsequent C initiation, but the reverse relationship was also observed. While the most likely initiation sequence among subjects who initiated the 3 groups of substances was the 'gateway' sequence T x2192; C x2192; OID, this pattern was not associated with substance use propensity more than alternative sequences. Early use propensity was associated with the 'gateway' sequence but also with some alternative ones beginning with T, C or OID. CONCLUSION: If the gateway sequence appears as the most likely pattern, in line with GT, the effects of early onset and substance use propensities were also observed for some alternative sequences, which is more in line with CLM. RAM could explain reciprocal interactions observed between T and C. This suggests shared influences of individual (personality traits) and environmental (substance availability, peer influence) characteristics.

Psychological distress in French college students: demographic, economic and social stressors. Results from the 2010 National Health Barometer.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress (PD) in students is under-investigated, since its prevalence can be high in certain subgroups of students and it has been seen to be associated with other mental health issues and academic achievement. In a sample of French college students, this study investigated factors associated with PD, and looked more closely at the impact of social and interpersonal variables. METHODS: Data were extracted from the 2010 French "National Health Barometer". 946 students were interviewed. Mental health was assessed using the MH-5 five-item scale. RESULTS: The PD rate in this sample was 13.8% (7.2% in males, 19.5% in females). Low income, nonsexual assault in the last 12 months, studying law and low social participation were associated with PD in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: French students show specific characteristics that are discussed in order to explain the relatively low rate of PD observed. The impact of loneliness and social isolation are a major focus for preventive policies based on community resources and early detection of the symptoms of PD.

A quantitative exploration of attitudes out of line with the prevailing norms toward alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use among European students.

The study examines groups of 15-16-year-old students whose attitudes toward drug use are out of line with the prevailing norms. It analyzes data from eight countries from the 2003 European School Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD): Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Malta, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In those countries, 22,900 15-16-year-old pupils answered the ESPAD questionnaire. Groups of subjects whose responses are far removed from the modal value are sought and studied. The aim is to explore "rare answers" compared to what is perceived by the majority of students. In order to explore what can lead a pupil to an atypical perception of risk, a cluster analysis, based on the risk perceptions of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use, was run to isolate the groups in which pupils tend to answer differently. Six clusters were established classifying students into those who failed to respond, deny the risks, do not know about the risks, see any drug use as great risk, see regular use as great risk, and who see a moderate risk for most frequencies of use. The nonresponders, risk deniers, and those ignorant of the risks are infrequent making up, in all, only 16.9% of the total sample. Gender, country, alcohol use, cannabis use, tobacco use, and friends' consumption were used to describe both the individual risk perceptions and the clusters based on them. Both global context (country) and "micro" context (frequencies of drug use, peers lifestyle, and parental permissiveness) appear to play a major role in the risk perception of drug use.

Factors influencing report of common mental health problems among psychologically distressed adults.

This study investigates the sociodemographic factors associated with self-report of common mental problems by the psychologically distressed in order to gain insight into the profile of the population subgroups least likely to receive mental health support whenever needed. Data from the 2006-2008 french National Survey on Health, Health Care and Insurance, were used, measuring psychological distress based on the Mental Health Inventory MHI-5. The patterns associated with education, employment situation and living arrangement were investigated in a sample of 11,543 subjects aged 30-54 years. Men with lower educational level were found to be doubly disadvantaged, as they were more subjected to distress than those with higher educational level and at the same time less likely to report common mental problems whenever distressed. While in both genders subjects not living with a spouse and non-employed subjects were also more subjected to distress, they were more likely than the others to report common mental problems in presence of distress. The findings were discussed in terms of living conditions, stigma, mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviour. Mental health promotion programmes should aim at educating the public, and particularly men and the lower educated public, on the signs of distress and their significance.

Adolescent Hazardous Drinking and Socioeconomic Status in France: Insights Into the Alcohol Harm Paradox.

PURPOSE: The "alcohol harm paradox" has been evidenced among adults, but it is still largely unexplored among adolescents. We examined in a sample of French adolescents the relation between family socioeconomic status (SES), family living arrangement and parental substance use on 1 hand, and heavy episodic drinking (HED), lifetime alcohol-induced emergency room visits (A-ERV), and number of alcoholic drinks and solitary drinking during the last episode on the other hand. METHODS: A cross-sectional nationwide survey in March 2017 involved 13,314 French adolescents aged 17-18.5 years. They completed a pen and paper questionnaire about their own and their parents' alcohol and tobacco consumption. We used risk ratios (RRs) from modified Poisson regressions to assess the relationships. RESULTS: Adolescents from the lowest SES had reduced likelihood of reporting 1-2 or 3-5 episodes of heavy drinking compared to those from the highest SES (RR = 0.58, 95% confidence interval = [0.50; 0.66] and 0.35 [0.27; 0.45]), but no difference for six or more episodes (RR = 0.81 [0.59; 1.12]). A-ERV was more frequent among lowest SES adolescents (RR = 1.86 [1.05; 3.30]), possibly due to drinking larger quantities of alcohol and to more frequent solitary drinking in their last episode (p < .001). SES, parental substance use, and family living arrangement were independently associated with HED. DISCUSSION: Our findings reveal an "alcohol harm paradox" in late adolescence in France. Lower SES adolescents exhibit reduced HED but were more likely to consume large quantities alone and experience A-ERV. This emphasizes the significance of considering social determinants in alcohol-related research and interventions.

Self-reporting and measurement of body mass index in adolescents: refusals and validity, and the possible role of socioeconomic and health-related factors.

BACKGROUND: Body mass index assessment using self-reported height and weight (BMIsr) can encounter refusals and under/over-reporting while for assessment with measured data (BMIm) refusals can be more frequent. This could relate to socioeconomic and health-related factors. We explored these issues by investigating numerous potential factors: gender, age, family structure, father's occupation, income, physical/sports activity, subjective weight perception, school performance, unhealthy behaviours, physical/psychological health, social relationships, living environment, having sustained violence, sexual abuse, and involvement in violence. METHODS: The sample included 1559 adolescents from middle schools in north-eastern France. They completed a questionnaire including socioeconomic and health-related data, self-reported height/weight, measured height/weight, and weight perception (participation rate 94%). Data were analysed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: BMIsr encountered under-reporting (with change in BMI category, 11.8%), over-reporting (6.0%), and reporting refusals (3.6%). BMIm encountered more numerous refusals (7.9%). Reporting refusal was related to living with a single parent, low school performance, lack of physical/sports activity, sustained violence, poor psychological health, and poor social relationships (gender/age-adjusted odds ratios 1.95 to 2.91). Further to these factors, measurement refusal was related to older age, having divorced/separated parents, a father being a manual worker/inactive, insufficient family income, tobacco/cannabis use, involvement in violence, poor physical health, and poor living environment (1.30 to 3.68). Under-reporting was related to male gender, involvement in violence, poor psychological health, and overweight/obesity (as assessed with BMIm) (1.52 to 11). Over-reporting was related to male gender, younger age, alcohol consumption, and underweight (1.30 to 5.35). Weight perception was linked to reporting refusals and under/over-reporting, but slightly linked to measurement refusal. The contributions of socioeconomic and health-related factors to the associations of weight perception with reporting refusal and under/over-reporting ranged from -82% to 44%. There were substantial discrepancies in the associations between socioeconomic/health-related factors and overweight/obesity assessed with BMIsr and BMIm. CONCLUSIONS: BMIsr and BMIm were affected by numerous biases related to vulnerability which were also obesity risk factors. BMIsr encountered under/over-reporting which were related to some socioeconomic and health-related factors, weight perception, and BMIm. BMIm was more affected by refusals than BMIsr due to socioeconomic and health-related factors. Further research is needed.

Roles of parental smoking and family structure for the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in adolescent smoking.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Among European countries, France is particularly concerned by adolescent tobacco smoking, especially in disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds (SES). We measured the respective contributions of parental smoking and family living arrangement to social disparities in smoking during adolescence. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of survey data. SETTING: A cross-sectional nation-wide exhaustive 12-day survey in March 2017 of French youth aged 17-18.5 years participating in the national mandatory civic information day. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 13 314 adolescents answering a pen-and-paper questionnaire about their own tobacco consumption and the smoking of their parents. MEASUREMENTS: Risk ratios (RRs) were computed using modified Poisson regressions, and population-attributable fraction (PAF) was used as a measure of the explanatory roles of the different factors as mediators of SES. FINDINGS: Adolescents living within very privileged and privileged SES were significantly less likely to report daily tobacco smoking (20.4 and 22.7%, respectively) than those within modest and disadvantaged ones (26.0 and 28.6%, respectively). Parental smoking and family living arrangement independently explained the smoking inequalities among adolescents. After adjusting for schooling factors, the risks associated with parental smoking ranged between RR = 1.64 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.50-1.79] when the father only smoked and RR = 2.17 (95% CI = 1.99-2.36) when both parents smoked, compared with non-smoking parents; the risk associated with living in a non-intact family was 1.35 (95% CI = 1.26-1.43) and that of living outside the parental home was 1.20 (95% CI = 1.10-1.30). Apprentices and adolescents out of school had higher risks than those at school (RR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.68-1.98) and RR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.92-2.29). The contribution of parental smoking to adolescent smoking (PAF = 32%) was greater than that of SES (PAF = 9%), family living arrangement (PAF = 17%) or schooling factors (14%). The share of SES decreased from 18 to 9% when considering these mediating factors. CONCLUSION: In France, parental smoking appears to be the factor that most influences adolescent smoking, followed by family living arrangement; the role of family socio-economic status is small in comparison.

Country and sex measurement invariance of the Cannabis abuse screening test (CAST) in European Youth.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring the prevalence of problematic cannabis use is an important public health issue. International surveys need invariant measurement tools to allow reliable comparisons across countries and between sexes. The Cannabis abuse screening test (CAST) has been developed for this purpose. This study is the first assessing its country and sex invariance in a sample of European pupils. METHODS: The data come from the self-administered questionnaires completed in 2019 by pupils aged 15-16 in the European school survey project (Espad). The analytical sample was restricted to the 17 countries where at least 300 pupils reported a previous-year cannabis use (n = 8740); multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess the configural, metric and scalar invariance of the CAST toward country and sex in the 2019 Espad release. RESULTS: Configural, metric and scalar invariance toward country hold for the 17 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Italia, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Scalar invariance toward sex was met in the 17 countries as a whole and in 11 of the 12 countries where the test could be run. Scalar invariance toward country was met with 6 additional countries comprising at least 250 respondents: Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands and Norway. CONCLUSION: The CAST is a suitable test for comparing the measurement of problematic cannabis use amongst adolescents in Europe.

Systematic Review and Critical Analysis of Longitudinal Studies Assessing Effect of E-Cigarettes on Cigarette Initiation among Adolescent Never-Smokers.

Prospective longitudinal studies mainly conclude on a causal role of e-cigarettes in the initiation of cigarettes in flagrant contradiction with conclusions drawn from epidemiology and other studies showing a sharp decline in cigarette use in parallel with the spread of e-cigarette use. This systematic review explores the reasons for this discrepancy. METHODS: Among 84 publications on e-cigarette/cigarette association in adolescents identified in the Medline database from 2011 to 2022, 23 concern 22 never-smoker longitudinal sub-cohorts. RESULTS: A link between e-cigarette experimentation at T1 and cigarette initiation at T2 is reported in sub-cohort analyses of never-smokers (AOR: 1.41 to 8.30). However, studies exclude 64.3% of T1 e-cigarette experimenters (because of dual-use) and 74.1% of T2 cigarette experimenters. With this study design, e-cigarettes contribute only to 5.3% of T2 cigarette experimentation, casting major doubt on the external validity of results and authors' conclusions that e-cigarettes have a significant effect on the initiation of cigarettes (Gateway effect) at the population level. This sub-cohort design prohibits highlighting any Diversion effect, which is the most likely mechanism accounting for the competition between these two products. CONCLUSIONS: While nicotine abstinence remains the best medical option, over-regulation of e-cigarettes because of misinterpretation of longitudinal study results may be detrimental to public health and tobacco control.

Comparison of Depression and Anxiety Following Self-reported COVID-19-Like Symptoms vs SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity in France.

Importance: The long-term consequences of COVID-19 on mental health are a critical issue given the number of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic. Objective: To investigate the associations between self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms or SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and subsequent depression or anxiety. Design, Setting, and Participants: This propensity score-matched cohort study began in May 2020, with follow-ups in November 2020 and July 2021. The study used data from a large, randomly selected, national population-based cohort from France, the EpiCoV (Epidémiologie et Conditions de Vie) study. Of 85 074 individuals 15 years or older who completed the questionnaires at the 3 collection times, 28 568 were excluded because they did not return a blood sample for serologic testing, 1994 because of missing data on outcomes or exposures, and 9252 to respect the temporal sequence (exposure must precede the outcome). Exposures: Propensity scores based on various socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health variables were computed to match participants who experienced COVID-19-like symptoms between February and November 2020 or showed SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in November 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between these occurrences and depression or anxiety assessed in July 2021 using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scales, respectively. Results: Among the 45 260 included participants (mean [SD] age, 51.1 [18.9] years; 52.4% women; 8.0% with depression and 5.3% with anxiety in July 2021), COVID-19-like symptoms were associated with subsequent depression (adjusted odds ratio, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.45-1.99) and anxiety (adjusted OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.29-1.92), whereas SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was not. Furthermore, COVID-19-like symptoms, but not anosmia or dysgeusia alone, were associated with subsequent depression and anxiety in both the seropositive and seronegative subgroups. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of more than 45 000 individuals drawn from the French general population, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not found as a risk factor of subsequent depression or anxiety. Moreover, self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms were associated with depression and anxiety assessed at least 8 months later in both seropositive and seronegative subgroups, suggesting that factors other than SARS-CoV-2 infection are implied in this association.