Adolescent's Perceptions of Smoking and Stress Reduction

The present study examined how adolescents perceive the relationship between smoking and stress and where they learn that smoking cigarettes may be an effective stress reduction mechanism. Eight focus groups were conducted with low-income southern African-American (AA) and European-American (EA) 14-16 year olds in urban and rural locations. Teens suggested the primary reasons they smoked was as a coping mechanism (to calm nerves), for social acceptance, and due to environmental influences. Family issues, boy/girl friend problems, and school were common stressors. While participants overwhelmingly felt people smoke to reduce stress, a few believed cigarettes did not actually reduce stress. When asked for examples of smoking they had seen in popular media, teens most often generated examples of individuals smoking to reduce stress. Ethnic and gender differences were found for the types of media where they had seen smoking, their opinions of anti-smoking messages, and the media's perceived influence.