Acta Psychologica Sinica

Abstract

Family has important effects on adolescent’s development. A lot of studies explored the effects of family on social and behavior development of adolescents, but few studies examined the relationship between family environment and adolescents’ smoking behavior in China. This study aimed at exploring the relationships between family factors and smoking behavior of junior middle school students. 319 7th to 9th grade junior middle school students were selected from one middle school in Beijing. All subjects were asked to write a consent and then distribute a self-administrated questionnaire. The study measured 22 family factors and adolescents’ smoking behaviors. All subjects were asked to report their own smoking behavior, and 22 family factors, including their parents’ smoking behavior and attitude, family cohesion, communication and conflict, parents’ monitoring, parenting style, family structure, parents’ education level and career, and family income. The study found that about 12% junior middle school students smoked cigarettes. Male students smoked cigarettes significantly more than female students, grade difference was not significant. The Chi-square tests showed mothers’ smoking behavior and attitude, mothers’ warm, family communication, family cohesion, parents’ monitoring, fathers’ penalty, fathers’ rejection, fathers’ overinterference had significant relationships with smoking behavior of junior middle school students, but logistical regression analysis found only mothers’ smoking behavior and attitude, family communication had significant effects on smoking behavior of junior middle school students. The result confirmed social learning theory that modeling (smoking behaviors) and reinforcement (attitudes toward smoking) are the main factors affecting adolescent’s smoking behavior. The reason why different family factors had different effects on junior middle school students’ smoking behaviors might be social expectations on gender role and Chinese tradition valuing family ties. The results implied that modifying mothers’ smoking behaviors and attitudes, and improving family communication might be efficient intervention on adolescents’ smoking behaviors.

_{[Chinese Version | Index | Acta Psychologica Sinica | Other Journals | Subscription form | Enquiry ]}

Mail any comments and suggestions to hkier-journal@cuhk.edu.hk .