Adolescent psychological and social predictors of young adult smoking acquisition and cessation: A 10-year longitudinal study

Abstract

Objective: A 10-year follow-up study to test the extent to which theory-based adolescent psychological and social factors directly predict and moderate the prediction of young adult smoking acquisition and cessation.

Design: A prospective community-based sample. A total of 2,970 adolescents participated in the large Washington State Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project (HSPP) longitudinal cohort. As predictors, psychological factors (i.e., parentnoncompliance, friendcompliance, rebelliousness, achievement motivation, and thrill seeking) and social environmental factors (i.e., parent's and friend's smoking) were measured when adolescents were 17-18 years old.

Main outcome measures: As main outcome measures, smoking acquisition and cessation were assessed both at ages 18 and 28.

Results: Psychological and social factors predicted 3% to 7% probability (p < .05) of smoking acquisition and a nonsignificant to 24% probability (p < .05) of smoking continuation (not quitting) in young adulthood. Both friendcompliance and rebelliousness were more powerful predictors of young adult-smoking continuation than of smoking acquisition.

Conclusion: First evidence that parent noncompliance, friend compliance, and a lack of achievement motivation predict smoking acquisition and (with the exception of parent noncompliance) smoking continuation in young adulthood. Including these psychological factors in future interventions designed to promote young adult smoking cessation may be useful.