Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

368

Date

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology

Concentration

Clinical Psychology

Committee Chair

Leslie A. Robinson

Committee Member

Kenneth D. Ward

Committee Member

Gilbert A. Parra

Committee Member

James G. Murphy

Abstract

Given the link between peer smoking and the onset of tobacco use, it seems reasonable to expect that peer behaviors may also influence smoking cessation. This study examined friends’ reactions to adolescents’ attempts to reduce smoking and determined normative data on the presence of these behaviors. Overall, approximately 80% of adolescents informed their peers about their attempt(s) to reduce smoking. Peers responded in several potentially helpful ways (i.e., talked or listened to the teen, stopped smoking around the teen, or attempted to reduce smoking with the teen) and several potentially harmful ways (i.e., teased the teen, smoked around the teen, or offered the teen cigarettes) to adolescents’ attempts to reduce smoking. This study also examined the association of these peer behaviors with short-term changes in number of cigarettes and smoking cessation. Peer behaviors were not associated with statistically significant change in number of cigarettes over time for adolescents who attempted to cut down smoking. The study also found those who had friends who talked and/or listened to them were more likely to have a successful quit attempt at one week. These results draw attention to the need to further examine peers’ reactions to adolescents’ attempts to reduce smoking and to develop smoking cessation interventions that account for the peer environment.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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