Original article
Ethnic variation in parenting characteristics and adolescent smoking

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(03)00140-XGet rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

To examine ethnic variation in parenting characteristics and in associations among parenting characteristics and adolescent smoking, and to assess the strength of those associations separately by ethnic subgroup.

Methods

Data were collected from a diverse sample (48.4% Hispanic/Latino, 22.9% Asian, 12.1% Non-Hispanic white, and 16.6% Multiethnic) of 1846 Southern California 6th-graders (mean age 11.3 years). Lifetime smoking and parenting characteristics (parental smoking status, adolescents’ perceptions of parent–child communication, and parental monitoring) were assessed. Across ethnic groups, descriptive statistics for parenting and smoking variables were calculated and compared. Logistic regression analyses controlled for demographics (socioeconomic status, generation status, family structure, age, and gender) and interaction terms (parenting characteristics × ethnicity), and were also run separately by ethnicity.

Results

Asian adolescents reported less parental monitoring than Latino/Hispanics and less parental communication than other ethnic subgroups. Odds ratios indicated parental monitoring (OR = .63; CI = .53-.74; p < .001) and parental communication (OR = .73; CI = .62–.86; p < .001) were protective whereas parental smoking (OR = 1.48; CI = 1.18–1.87; p < .01) was a risk factor for smoking. Relative to Latinos, parental monitoring (OR = .50; CI = .26–.95; p < .05) was more protective, and parental communication (OR = 2.44; CI = 1.15–5.17; p < .05) less protective for white adolescents. All parental characteristics were significantly associated with Latino/Hispanics smoking. Parental monitoring was significantly associated with Multiethnic and white smoking. No parenting characteristics were significant for Asians.

Conclusion

Ethnic differences in parenting characteristics and adolescent smoking should be considered when designing prevention curriculum. Future research should investigate the nature of parent–child communication among Asian immigrant populations.

Section snippets

Ethnic Variation in Adolescent Smoking

Adolescent smoking is an important health risk behavior to examine. According to national data, increases in smoking have been identified among African-American, Hispanic/Latino, and white adolescents 5, 6. Although in the late 1990s, smoking began to decrease especially among African-Americans, between 1990 and 1996, in California an increase in smoking has been identified in Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and white adolescents [7]. Because the majority of those who are nicotine- dependent

Parental Characteristics and Adolescent Smoking

Theories of social influences have been used extensively to study adolescent smoking. Studies that have applied social learning theory 10, 11, 12 as a theoretical framework assume that adolescents learn behaviors from significant others, through imitation, modeling, or vicarious learning. For instance, an adolescent observing his/her parent smoke for relaxation may be consciously or unconsciously motivated to smoke for similar rewards. The majority of studies find strong support for the direct

Ethnic Variation in Parenting Characteristics

Evidence suggests that traditional frameworks of adolescent health may be inappropriate across ethnic groups. Some studies have identified ethnic variation in parenting characteristics; including parenting strategies [30], expectations of parent–child relationships 31, 32, and parental monitoring 33, 34. Relative to Whites, less evidence for authoritative parenting styles (high parental demands with high parental responsiveness) has been found in African-American, Asian-American, and

Using Appropriate Controls

Although numerous differences also exist 37, 38, relative to other U.S. families important social and structural characteristics are shared among the majority of Asian Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino families. Living in the United States, both Asian Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino families tend to be concentrated in urban metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles 1, 2, to live in larger extended families with more children [39], and to have family members present in the household who

Obstacles to Understanding Ethnic Variation in Family Influences and Adolescent Smoking

More research on ethnic variation in adolescent smoking is necessary. Most previous research has been conducted with white samples [48]. Often, when non-white adolescents have been included in the sample, their numbers have not been large enough to make meaningful statistical comparisons with white adolescents [19]. To compensate, many studies have included ethnicity as a control variable and have not examined ethnicity by parenting variable interactions [49]. Therefore, more research on ethnic

The Purpose of this Study

In a sample containing a sizeable number of Asian Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino adolescents, this study examines parental influences on smoking. More specifically, the following are examined: (a) ethnic variation in parenting characteristics (parental smoking status, perceived parent–child communication, and parental monitoring); (b) whether relationships among parenting characteristics and adolescent smoking are stronger or weaker in one ethnic group than in another; (c) the relative

Sample

The data described in this article are from a baseline survey of a longitudinal school-based experimental trial of culturally tailored smoking prevention strategies with ethnically diverse urban 6th-graders attending participating California middle schools.

Lifetime Smoking

Owing to the low prevalence of smokers in this 6th-grade sample, the question, “Have you ever tried smoking, even a few puffs?” was used as the outcome variable. Those students who responded “no” and “yes” to the question were respectively coded as “Never smokers” and “Ever smokers.”

Ethnicity

Self-reported ethnicity was assessed with a series of dichotomous questions (e.g., “Are you white, Chinese/Chinese-American, Pacific Islander, Filipino, Korean/Korean-American, Vietnamese/Vietnamese-American,

Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents

Of the 3109 students surveyed, slightly over half (59.3%) provided completed data on all variables of interest. The analytic sample size was 1846. No significant differences between the analytic sample and those with incomplete data were identified for age, gender, ethnicity, smoking, socioeconomic status, parental monitoring, and parental smoking. However, students in the analytic sample were more likely to live with both biological parents (p < .0001), to come from the “immigrant second

Discussion

In a sample comprised of Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Multiethnic, and white Southern California 6th-grade adolescents, important relationships among ethnicity, parenting characteristics, and adolescent smoking were examined. These results demonstrate that parental influences and the effects of these influences on adolescent smoking vary among the ethnic groups in this study.

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    This research was supported by the University of Southern California Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC), funded by the National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 P50 CA84735-01) and the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP; Grant 7PT-7004). Support for Dr. Shakib (T32 CA 09492) was provided through a National Cancer Institute postdoctoral fellowship awarded to C. Anderson Johnson, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California. The authors thank Gaylene Gunning, Steven Cen, and the TTURC/IRP project staff for assistance with data collection and data management.

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