We know how smoking affects one's physical health and what all consequences it can bring to the smoker and the others around that person. Now a new study suggests about how parental smoking increases the risk of children developing anxiety and addictive behaviours.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing found the possible associations between father using nicotine and their offspring developing anxiety, addictive behaviours and cognitive deficits. The research was conducted upon rats and it offers preventative insights on parental smoking that could be useful without subjecting humans to unnecessary exposure.

This is related with reduced expression of SATB2, a protein, in the part of the brain that has a great impact on learning and memory.

Effects of Smoking on Mental Health and Physical Health

Smoking just don't affect the physical health, but it also affects the mental health. Smoking tobacco affects the brain chemistry and has been linked with the mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and that's just in the smoker themselves and even social smoking is harmful.

“There is quite good evidence now that smoking has a detrimental effect on mental health – smokers are more likely to suffer from common mental health problems such as depression, as well as experience severe mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia) and there is growing evidence that this association is causal," explains Dr. Munafo.

This evidence comes from a range of different types of study, and is also supported by evidence that when smokers quit their mental health tends to improve.”

When smokers feels that this habit helps their mental health, research shows that quitting smoking can improve the mental health which is evident with the effects as noticeable among those with psychiatric disorders as in those without. The benefit to mental health is equivalent to the benefit of using antidepressants.

Sources - Very well mind