Dating and changes in adolescent cigarette smoking: Does partner smoking behavior matter?

Introduction: Adolescents' relationships can play an influential role in adopting, maintaining, or changing health behaviors. Previous research has suggested that adolescent dating is a risk factor for both concurrent and prospective tobacco use. This study extends previous research by examinin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nicotine & tobacco research 2009-10, Vol.11 (10), p.1226-1230
Main Authors: Mermelstein, Robin J., Colvin, Peter J., Klingemann, Sven D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Logistic Models
Longitudinal Studies
Male
ORIGINAL INVESTIGATIONS
Smoking - psychology
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Summary:Introduction: Adolescents' relationships can play an influential role in adopting, maintaining, or changing health behaviors. Previous research has suggested that adolescent dating is a risk factor for both concurrent and prospective tobacco use. This study extends previous research by examining whether a partner's smoking status moderated the relationship between dating and adolescent smoking. Methods: Participants were 1,263 9th and 10th grade students who took part in a longitudinal study investigating the social and emotional contexts of adolescent smoking patterns. Adolescents were recruited into the longitudinal study based on prior smoking history. The presence of a romantic partner, the partner's smoking status, and the adolescents' smoking behavior were assessed at baseline and at 15 months. Results: Our findings indicated that a change in dating status from not dating to having a partner significantly increased the odds of the adolescent smoking at 15 months but significantly only for those who dated a smoker. This effect was especially pronounced among boys. All boys who dated a smoker smoked themselves. Among adolescents who smoked at 15 months, there was also a strong protective effect among boys for dating a nonsmoker, compared with either those who did not have partners or those with smoking partners; boys with nonsmoking partners smoked significantly less than those with partners who smoked or those without partners. Discussion: These results highlight the importance of considering the smoking status of the romantic partner in the smoking-dating relationship in adolescents.
ISSN:1462-2203
1469-994X
DOI:10.1093/ntr/ntp127