Indoor tanning may be an addictive behavior for certain young adults, according to a study published in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology.
This study extends prior work by relating indoor tanning addiction to substance use and affective disturbance.
Between September and December 2006, a total of 421 college students from the northeastern United States anonymously completed questionnaires regarding indoor tanning habits, substance use, anxiety and depression symptoms, and demographics.
The students reported a mean of 23 indoor tanning sessions in the past year. Those who met criteria for addiction to tanning reported tanning more often than those with addictive tendencies, and both groups reported more tanning than those who did not meet criteria for addiction to indoor tanning.
Link to Substance Use, Anxiety
Forty-two percent of students who met criteria for indoor tanning addiction (21 of 50) reported using 2 or more substances (excluding alcohol) in the past month. In contrast, only 16.0% of students (29 of 181) who had never tanned indoors and 16.8% of students (20 of 119) who were not addicted to tanning affirmed this degree of substance use. Students who met study criteria for addiction to indoor tanning also reported greater alcohol and marijuana use.
Overall, findings suggest that individuals who use drugs may be more likely to develop dependence on indoor tanning because of a similar addictive process.
More Women Than Men
There was no association between skin type and addiction to indoor tanning, although the researchers say this may be due to underrepresentation of students with darker skin tones.
In addition, sex was not associated with addiction to indoor tanning, although women were overrepresented in the study.
No comments:
Post a Comment