Determinants of Resilience to Cigarette Smoking among Youth at Risk (2012)

Cigarette smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in India and worldwide, Tobacco is responsible for 2500 deaths per day in India. Young people have the highest rate of smoking prevalence. Among adults (age 15+), over one third (35%) of the population use tobacco products, with 48% of males and 20% of females using some form of tobacco. Among youth (age 13-15), 4% smoke cigarettes (boys 5%; girls 2%). Almost 12% of youth use other types of tobacco products (boys 14%; girls 8.5%).Numerous researchers studied risk factors associated with smoking uptake, such as lower socioeconomic status and young age, however, few have sought to examine the various protective factors associated with smoking resilience. The majority of resilience research is limited to investigations of single variables and their relationship to resilience. The current exploratory study has made an attempt to bring together variables identified as promoting resilience, and to examine the strength of the relationships.Moreover, it is widely accepted that family support and in particular parental support, is highly important in building resilience in young people. Young peers are another strong influence. Krosnick and Judd suggested that parental influence does not decrease in adolescence, but rather, the influence of peers increases. Peers can both promote and deter the use of tobacco.In addition to positive social support from family and peers, resilience in young people can also be influenced by community support. The emphasis on community support is consistent with resilience research stressing the importance of the socio-ecological context in helping young people to avoid the negative effects of risk factors.Smoking: Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a social situation orto relieve stress. A smoking habit is a physical addiction to tobacco products. Many health experts now regard habitual smoking as a psychological addiction, too, and one with serious health consequences.Youth : Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood (maturity). Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.Resilience: Resilience in psychology refers to the idea of an individual's tendency to cope with stress and adversity. This coping may result in the individual bouncing back to a previous state of normal functioning, or using the experience of exposure to adversity to produce a steeling effect and function better than expected (much like an inoculation gives one the capacity to cope well with future exposure to disease). Resilience is most commonly understood as a process, and not a trait of an individual. Recently there has also been evidence that resilience can indicate a capacity to resist a sharp decline in functioning even though a person temporarily appears to get worse.MethodParticipantsA total of 100 questionnaires were handed out, and 100 completed questionnaires were returned (100% response rate). The sample consisted of 100 male students. The majority did not smoke and were of lower socioeconomic status. Participants were students from the Himatnagar and Modasa Arts and Commerce College Campus from classes across all year levels (year 1, 2 and 3) in Bachelor of Arts and Commerce. Eligibility was limited to young people, defined as 15-29 years of age. Compared with same campuses students who had or were eligible for concession fees, and who were thus classified as being of lower socioeconomic status.InstrumentsParticipants received a nine page self-report questionnaire consisting of 101 questions divided into sections on sense of humor, style of coping, social support (family, peers, and community), sense of coherence, and depression, anxiety and stress (DASS). …