Crossing the Line: Adolescents’ Experiences of Controlling Their Tobacco Use

Abstract

Although adolescents are often curious about cigarettes and anxious to "try" smoking, they are unsure about what engaging in the act of smoking will mean. Most adolescents who experiment with smoking do not set out to become addicted to tobacco. Using a grounded theory approach, the authors examined the process youth undergo to regain control over their smoking. Accounts of early smoking experiences suggest that youth undergo a process to control tobacco use that includes (a) determining if smoking is a problem, (b) "crossing the line" of acceptable tobacco use, and (c) implementing strategies to regain control of smoking. The findings of this study lay the basis for the development of harm reduction approaches that facilitate youth's propensity to control their tobacco use.

Measuring adolescent smoking cessation strategies: Instrument development and initial validation

“…In addition, fewer nonsmoking supports may have been available for heavy smoking youth such as those in the present study. Overall, strategies endorsed as frequently used or helpful were generally consistent with those reported in qualitative studies (Balch, 1998;Balch et al, 2004;Johnson et al, 2004). These scores may be useful for informing youth regarding methods their peers consider helpful for cessation.…”

“…The variety of cessation strategies and approaches included in the measure was consistent with the goal of producing an instrument to capture the diversity of efforts used during adolescent efforts to quit smoking. The types of strategies generated in our focus groups were consistent with those described in previous qualitative studies (Balch, 1998;Balch et al, 2004;Johnson et al, 2004) suggesting that WOQ items represent methods used by youth smokers who attempt cessation.…”

“…A focus group study of daily-smoking college students (Hines, 1996) found that, for those who had tried to quit, stopping all at once was the most frequently reported strategy, followed by gradual reduction and use of nicotine replacement. A recently published qualitative study (Johnson, Kalaw, Lovato, Baillie, & Chambers, 2004) found that youth used a variety of approaches to limiting their smoking, including reducing exposure to smoking situations, reducing cigarette consumption, using substitute behaviors, and seeking support from friends or family members. Finally, a report on smoking cessation efforts among substance-abusing adolescents (Myers & MacPherson, 2004) revealed that participants who had tried to quit commonly reported stopping all at once, quitting together with friends, and gradually reducing their smoking.…”

The Experiences of South-Western Taiwanese Male Adolescents Controlling Their Smoking After Exposure to an Education Program

“…Most adolescents in Taiwan begin smoking between the ages of 11 and 14 and become regular smokers by 18 (Wang, 2008). Other than the psychological characteristics of adolescence, adolescent smoking was associated with parental smoking, peer-group smoking, stress, poor self-esteem, body image dissatisfaction, risk-taking behavior, and poor physical health (Croghan et al, 2006;Johnson et al, 2004;Teevale, Denny, Nosa, & Sheridan, 2013). However, recent studies have also identified a number 569668S GOXXX10.1177/2158244015569668SAGE OpenGuo et al…”

“…It is a time when adolescents seek freedom, autonomy, and excitement (Johnson, Kalaw, Lovato, Baillie, & Chambers, 2004;Pelzer, 2011) and demonstrate a dislike of rules. Smoking is one of the behaviors that teenagers use to express their freedom.…”