Cigarette smoking cessation and mental health treatment receipt in a U.S national sample of pregnant women with mental illness

Objectives To (1) compare the probability of cigarette smoking cessation for pregnant women with and without past-year mental illness by the trimester of pregnancy; and (2) examine the association between the receipt of past-year mental health treatment and prenatal cigarette smoking cessation among pregnant lifetime-smokers with mental illness. Methods We conducted secondary analysis of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2008-2014. The NSDUH included 2019 pregnant lifetime smokers aged 18-44 years, 528 of whom had a mental illness. We used multiple logistic regression to model the probability of prenatal cigarette smoking cessation. Results Pregnant lifetime-smokers with mental illness had a lower rate of cigarette smoking cessation than women without mental illness (47.9% vs. 61.7%, p = 0.001). Compared to pregnant women without mental illness, pregnant women with mental illness had a significantly lower odds of smoking cessation in the first trimester (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 0.34, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.18-0.66), but not in the second (AOR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.46-1.63) and third trimesters (AOR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.51-1.72). The likelihood of quitting smoking did not differ significantly for pregnant lifetime-smokers with mental illness who received and did not receive mental health treatment (AOR: 1.69, 95% CI: 0.87-3.28). Conclusion Pregnant lifetime-smokers with mental illness are less likely to quit smoking than those without mental illness; overall, pregnant women tended to quit smoking as they progressed in their pregnancy. The receipt of mental health treatment was not associated with quitting smoking. Mental health care providers need to screen for cigarette use among pregnant women and strengthen smoking cessation efforts. Clinical relevance Pregnancy presents a unique opportunity for mental health care providers to screen for cigarette use in women with mental illness and support their smoking cessation efforts.