Contextual Consistency and Adolescent Smoking: Testing the Indirect Effect of Home Indoor Smoking Restrictions on Adolescent Smoking Through Peer Smoking

摘要

The present study tested the indirect effect of home indoor smoking restrictions on adolescent smoking through peer smoking. Based on a bioecological perspective of development, we hypothesized that forbidding indoor smoking would reduce the likelihood of adolescent smoking by decreasing exposure to peer smoking, even when adolescents live with at least one household member who smokes. Participants were 163 adolescents (mean age=16 years) from a suburban southeastern Pennsylvania community. Participants completed a self-report survey evaluating home indoor smoking restrictions, smoking behavior, peer smoking, alcohol use, and demographics. Structural equation modeling indicated that forbidding smoking indoors was associated with having fewer peers who smoke, which was associated with a lower level of smoking. The indirect effect was significant (β=–.569, 95% CI –.90 to –.24), offering some preliminary ideas about why home indoor smoking restrictions reduce the risk of adolescent smoking. However, the nature and stability of these effects on adolescent smoking behavior remain to be investigated.