Smokers who survive disasters are more likely to subsequently develop mental-health problems than nonsmoking survivors, Reuters reported Feb. 22.

A study of 662 adult survivors of a fireworks disaster in the Netherlands found that smokers were twice as likely to have severe anxiety disorders than nonsmokers, three times as likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and almost twice as likely to have severe hostility problems four years after the study began.

Researchers noted that while PTSD is known to cause increased smoking, few studies have looked at whether prior smoking is a risk factor for mental-health problem following a traumatic event.

The finding led researchers to say that disaster victims could reduce their risk of later mental-health problems if they quit smoking.

The study was published in the January 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.