Perceptions of Smoking-Related Risks and Benefits as Predictors of Adolescent Smoking Initiation

Abstract

Objectives-We used prospective, longitudinal data to directly test whether smoking-related perceptions predict smoking initiation among adolescents.Methods-We administered surveys assessing perceptions of smoking-related risks and benefits to 395 high school students, beginning at the start of their ninth-grade year. We conducted followup assessments every 6 months until the end of 10th grade, obtaining 4 waves of data.Results-Adolescents who held the lowest perceptions of long-term smoking-related risks were 3.64 times more likely to start smoking than were adolescents who held the highest perceptions of risk. Adolescents who held the lowest perceptions of short-term smoking-related risks were 2.68 times more likely to initiate smoking. Adolescents who held the highest perceptions of smokingrelated benefits were 3.31 times more likely to initiate smoking.Conclusions-Smoking initiation is directly related to smoking-related perceptions of risks and benefits. Efforts to reduce adolescent smoking should continue to communicate the health risks of smoking and counteract perceptions of benefits associated with smoking.Requests for reprints should be sent to Bonnie L.

The relationship between perception of social interaction, perceived social support and social acceptance with aggression among adolescents

“…The Aligned with other researches [10,11], the results of this study indicated that perception of social interaction play an important role in emergence of high risk behaviors in adolescents, including aggression. Johnson and Tversk believed that the positive perception of social interaction result in risky and highly optimistic assessments, and the negative perception of social interaction result in risky and highly pessimistic assessments [12].…”

“…This means that positive thoughts cause the reduction of aggression and negative thoughts of social interactions cause the elevation of aggression among adolescents. Song's research showed that the adolescents with high negative perception of social interaction would become more, willingness toward high risk behaviors [11]. Yazdkhasti in research concluded that there is a negative and significant relationship between perception of social interaction with anger and risk taking level among university students.…”

“…If the high adolescents' perception of conditions is positive, so they would show more rational behaviors in daily matters [10]. Other results have shown that there is significant relationship between adolescents' perception of social interaction and their tendency toward substance abuse [11]. A Study's results have indicated that there is significant relationship between adolescents' perception of social interaction and their social behaviors [12].…”

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“…Of these 418 students, 395 (95% of consenting students) completed a self-administered survey during a classroom period. Further detail on study design have also been described elsewhere (Halpern-Felsher, Biehl, Kropp, & Rubinstein, 2004;Song et al, 2009). …”

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