NCJ Number
200879
Journal
Addiction Volume: 98 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2003 Pages: 815-824
Date Published
June 2003
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined patterns of adolescent smoking by family structure in a cross-national sample of 11 European countries.
Abstract
Three main research questions were addressed in this study: (1) were different types of family structures related equally to adolescent cigarette smoking; (2) were different family structures related equally to adolescent smoking in different countries; and (3) could differences in patterns of adolescent smoking be attributed to the prevalence of different types of family structures in each country. The authors examined the self-reported smoking patterns and demographic characteristics of 33,978 students in 11 European countries. Results of multi-level hierarchical regression analysis revealed that adolescents who resided with both parents smoked less than those living with single mothers, single fathers, and step-parents. The effects of living with single parents or step-parents were stronger in countries where this family structure was less common. Further analysis revealed that the difference in the strength of effects between countries was insignificant once the prevalence of each type of family structure was taken into account. The authors conclude that despite a wide range of economic, political, and cultural differences between countries, the one constant remains that children who reside with both their parents smoke less than their counterparts who live with single parents or step-parents. Tables, references