The natural history of cigarette smoking: Predicting young-adult smoking outcomes from adolescent smoking patterns.

Assessed the magnitude of risk that adolescent cigarette smoking carries for adult smoking, using longitudinal data from 4,156 Ss surveyed originally during Grades 6–12 and followed up after completion of high school. Even infrequent experimentation (i.e., smoking only a few cigarettes) in adolescence significantly raised the risk for adult smoking by a factor of 16 compared to nonsmoking adolescents. Relative risk was also increased by early onset of smoking and by a stable, uninterrupted course from experimentation to regular smoking. Data support the importance of primary prevention programs directed at adolescent populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal socialization of adolescent smoking: The intergenerational transmission of parenting and smoking.

A longitudinal multigenerational design was used to examine the intergenerational transmission of smoking and the correlated transmission of parental support and control. Whether maternal socialization of adolescent smoking (both general parenting practices and smoking-specific strategies) would predict adolescent smoking both directly and indirectly by affecting peer affiliations was tested. There was strong evidence for the intergenerational transmission of cigarette smoking and for the relation between peer smoking and adolescent smoking. Both general parenting practices and smoking-specific discussion and punishment were significantly related to adolescents' smoking, especially for adolescent-reported parenting. Support for the intergenerational transmission of parenting practices emerged only in mothers' reports of support. Results suggest expanding current peer-focused prevention efforts to include parental socialization strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective predictors of quit attempts and smoking cessation in young adults.

This study examined prospective predictors of attempts to quit smoking and successful quitting among those who attempted to quit (n?=?700), using a long-term longitudinal study of the natural history of cigarette smoking in a midwestern community sample. Participants, originally surveyed in 6th-12th grade (1980–1983), were followed up in 1987 and 1994. Results showed that amount of smoking, gender, education, health beliefs about smoking, value on healthy lifestyle, motives for smoking, reasons for quitting, and occupancy of young adult social roles were significant predictors of cessation. However, there were different predictors of attempts to quit and successful quitting among those who attempted to quit. From a public health perspective, both predictors of quit attempts and predictors of successful quitting among attempters are useful targets for intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implicit and explicit attitudes predict smoking cessation: Moderating effects of experienced failure to control smoking and plans to quit.

The current study tested implicit and explicit attitudes as prospective predictors of smoking cessation in a Midwestern community sample of smokers. Results showed that the effects of attitudes significantly varied with levels of experienced failure to control smoking and plans to quit. Explicit attitudes significantly predicted later cessation among those with low (but not high or average) levels of experienced failure to control smoking. Conversely, however, implicit attitudes significantly predicted later cessation among those with high levels of experienced failure to control smoking, but only if they had a plan to quit. Because smoking cessation involves both controlled and automatic processes, interventions may need to consider attitude change interventions that focus on both implicit and explicit attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal socialization of adolescent smoking: Intergenerational transmission of smoking-related beliefs.

A longitudinal, multigenerational design was used to test the intergenerational transmission of smoking and the hypothesized correlated transmission of smoking-related beliefs. The study assessed a sample of 192 mother–adolescent pairs to test whether mothers' beliefs about smoking were related to their children's beliefs and whether mothers' beliefs could account for the relation between mother and child smoking. Structural equation modeling showed strong evidence for the intergenerational transmission of smoking, and smoking-related beliefs were related to smoking in both generations. However, there was no evidence for the intergenerational transmission of smoking-related beliefs. Rather, adolescents' beliefs were related to their own smoking experience and to their mothers' smoking behavior. These results suggest that parents influence their children more through their behavior than through the beliefs that they hold. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Historical changes in cigarette smoking and smoking-related beliefs after 2 decades in a midwestern community.

Rates of cigarette smoking and smoking-related beliefs in 1980 and 2001 among 7th-11th graders in a midwestern community were compared. Smoking was less prevalent in 2001 than in 1980, with the greatest declines in experimental smoking and a smaller drop in regular smoking. Beliefs about smoking generally became more negative. Adolescents (particularly nonsmokers) viewed smoking as more addictive and as having more negative social consequences in 2001 than in 1980 and had more negative attitudes toward smoking in 2001. These results were replicated among parent-child pairs in which parents were measured when they were adolescents between 1980 and 1983 and their children were measured in 2001. These beliefs and attitudes partially mediated the effects of time on smoking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family history of smoking and young adult smoking behavior.

Compared the smoking behavior and smoking-related beliefs of 816 young adult smokers who did and did not have a family history of cigarette smoking (FHS). Those with an FHS smoked more cigarettes in a typical day, smoked for more years, perceived themselves as more addicted to cigarettes, had more positive beliefs about the psychological consequences of smoking, and reported stronger pleasurable relaxation motives and stimulation motives for smoking compared with their peers who had no FHS. Thus, smokers with an FHS were more committed smokers and viewed smoking as having more positive psychological benefit than did their peers without an FHS. Such individual differences may be mediated through both social–environmental and genetically influenced mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of the evaluation and similarity principles in the false consensus effect.

Examined 2 principles of judgment derived from balance theory that may serve as foundations for the false consensus effect (FCE). The evaluation principle involves judges assuming the generally positive targets have other positive qualities. This principle was predicted to produce a limited FCE, emerging only for positive targets and only for qualities whose evaluation varies with the judge's own status. When the similarity principle is invoked, judges use self-knowledge directly as they infer that generally positive targets are "like me." This principle was predicted to produce an FCE for all characteristics, whether they were variably or universally evaluated. In Study 1, with 107 undergraduates, the evaluation principle was evoked as targets were chosen who had no relationship with the judges and who were described in positive, negative, or neutral terms. A limited FCE resulted, but for positive targets only. Study 2, with 173 Ss, attempted to evoke a similarity principle by using reference group targets to highlight the relationship between the judge and the target. A limited FCE resulted, suggesting that the evaluation principle predominated. Studies 3 and 4, with 344 Ss, attempted to evoke the similarity and evaluation principles within a single study so that they could be compared for ratings of individuals or groups. However, in both studies, limited FCEs were produced in all cases, suggesting that an evaluation principle again predominated. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From adolescence to adulthood: Age-related changes in beliefs about cigarette smoking in a Midwestern community sample.

The current study used a cohort-sequential design to examine age-related changes in health-relevant beliefs from the middle school years through age 37 in a large, midwestern, community sample (N?=?8,556). Results suggest systematic age-related changes such that beliefs in the personalized risks of smoking declined in middle school and then increased, beliefs in generalized health risks increased beginning in the middle school years, and values placed on health as an outcome decreased in the high school years and then increased. These findings suggest that intervention programs must counter declining personalized risk perceptions among middle school students and declining values placed on health among high school age students, (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)