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 cor- relation, stepwise regression, and independent “t-test” were applied to analyze the data. Results: Results revealed that physical symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction, and de- pression sub-scales, as well as total scores of mental health negatively correlated with dy- adic 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%, de- pression 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 de- pression. 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 im- pair the tranquility of families and that smoking also threatens the dyadic adjustment of couples.