Feeling grown up: the differential role of alcohol and tobacco among male and female adolescents

Abstract

A sample of 147 female and 183 male year nine pupils, between the ages of 14 and 15 years, was invited to describe an event in their lives through which they thought that they had matured or grown. The girls were twice as likely as the boys to mention an event involving smoking. The boys were twice as likely as the girls to mention an event involving drinking. These findings confirm the different significance ascribed to both alcohol and tobacco by adolescent males and females as a landmark or milestone in the process of maturation. The implications of these findings for health education are discussed.