Image, context and transition: smoking in mid‐to‐late adolescence

Abstract

This paper explores 16–19‐year‐old Scottish smokers’ experiences and attitudes towards smoking and their understandings of the ways in which this transitional period impacts on their smoking behaviour. The study involved 49 qualitative interviews conducted mostly in friendship pairs. Interviewees also completed a brief smoking questionnaire. The paper highlights the salience of social context in smoking initiation and maintenance, and the role of smoking across a range of social spheres. Interviewees described how transitions from school to work, further education or un/employment, impacted on their smoking. Smoking was perceived to be an important ‘lubricant’ for social relations, and marker of an acceptable identity in familiar and new contexts which acted to reinforce and increase smoking. In contrast, smoking restrictions at home, work and/or educational settings were felt to moderate consumption. This has implications for cessation programmes for older adolescents who have been relatively ignored by tobacco control. The study also suggests that if smoke‐free policies were extended to all workplaces, this would have a particular impact on smoking amongst older adolescents by hindering the transition from social to regular smoking.

Disadvantaged youth and smoking in mature tobacco control contexts: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative research

“…Smoking was seen as normal in the social context, which generated curiosity and facilitated willingness to try, and interest in, smoking 47 48 50–53 56 58–61. It played a prominent role in peer relations and socialising,48 49 54 62 63 and often in family relationships. Young people were socialised into smoking from a young age, and initiation was facilitated by family members in several of the studies 47 50 52 53 56.…”

A Q-methodological Investigation into the Meanings of Cigarette Consumption

“…It is certainly true that if a person's friend smokes, they are also more likely to smoke themselves (Mayhew, 2000), particularly if there is peer approval of smoking (Morgan & Grube, 1989;Unger, 2001). One function of cigarette smoking is to facilitate entry into a peer group (Gilliard & Bruchton-Schweitzer 2001;Wiltshire, Amos, Haw & McNeill, 2005). Michel and Amos (1997) found clear associations between hierarchical social networks and smoking.…”

Buying and Selling “Loosies” in Baltimore: The Informal Exchange of Cigarettes in the Community Context

“…21 However, despite data from the 1998-1999 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS-TUS) identifying an increase in the smoking rate among 18-24 year olds of low socioeconomic status, little research has been targeted towards understanding the tobacco control needs of populations, such as inner-city young adults who are not either in work or higher education. 12,22 Young adults may be particularly vulnerable to smoking when they move immediately into the workforce. [23][24][25] Subsequently, the lack of attention given to the Bnon-collegeŷ oung adult population is particularly concerning in terms of lifetime smoking trajectories given the higher smoking prevalence among those employed in primary industry and trades than of those in higher education and clerical/professional positions.…”