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The Roles of Parenting, Church Attendance, and Depression in Adolescent Smoking

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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to identify contextual factors related to smoking among urban African-American and White adolescents. We administered a survey assessing demographic and psychosocial variables to 299 adolescents in an urban pediatric clinic in the Midwest. Results indicated that being female, older age, lower academic performance, depressive symptoms, less frequent church attendance, parental smoking, and parental attitudes toward smoking were related to adolescent smoking. After controlling for demographics, the multivariate model predicting adolescent smoking included depressive symptoms, less frequent church attendance, and parental disapproval of smoking. Given these findings, efforts to decrease adolescent smoking may be enhanced by attending to depressive symptoms demonstrated by adolescents as well as contextual factors including parental attitudes and church attendance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Cancer Center, 717 Delaware St. SE, Suite 166, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Carla Berg & Jasjit S. Ahluwalia

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Mail-Stop 1008, 4004 Robinson, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA

    Won S. Choi & Nicole Nollen

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Mayo Mail Code 391, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Harsohena Kaur

Authors
  1. Carla Berg
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  2. Won S. Choi
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  3. Harsohena Kaur
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  4. Nicole Nollen
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  5. Jasjit S. Ahluwalia
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Correspondence to Carla Berg.

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Berg, C., Choi, W.S., Kaur, H. et al. The Roles of Parenting, Church Attendance, and Depression in Adolescent Smoking. J Community Health 34, 56–63 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-008-9118-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-008-9118-4

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