Examination of a Process Model of Adolescent Smoking Self-Change Efforts in Relation to Gender

Abstract

Little information describes how adolescents change their smoking behavior. This study investigated the role of gender in the relationship of motivation and cognitive variables with adolescent smoking self-change efforts. Self-report and semi-structured interview data from a prospective study of smoking self-change efforts were examined among 98 adolescent smokers ages 14 to 18 (55% female). Social disapproval motives and short-term consequence reasons for quitting, quit self-efficacy, and intentions to quit were modeled in relation to prospective self-quit attempts assessed at a six-month follow-up, separately by gender. Hypothesized mediating relationships were not supported although gender differences were noted. Social influence motives related to intention to quit and prospective self-quit attempts among girls. For boys, intention to quit predicted making a self-quit attempt. Findings emphasize the importance of examining adolescent models separately by gender and contribute to understanding of mechanisms involved in adolescent smoking change efforts.

KEYWORDS:

• adolescent
• gender
• process model
• self-change
• smoking

Acknowledgments

This research was performed through the Veterans Medical Research Foundation & University of California, San Diego. This research was supported by Tobacco Related Disease Research Program Grant # 10IT-0280 and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Grant # T32 AA13525. We thank Sandra A. Brown, Elizabeth A. Klonoff, John P. Elder, and Tamara L. Wall for their comments on the first author's dissertation, a portion of which is presented in this article. Portions of this study were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, March 22, 2005, Prague, Czech Republic.