Smokeless tobacco expectancies among a sample of rural adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the role of expectancies in adolescent smokeless tobacco (ST) use.


METHODS
Self-report measures of students' ST expectancies, cigarette and ST use, and peer and family tobacco use were collected from a sample of 978 rural high school students.


RESULTS
Student expectancy beliefs significantly predicted ST use and intention to try ST in the next year. Student expectancies about ST were influenced by gender, cigarette use, and peer tobacco use. Family-member tobacco use did not strongly affect expectancies.


CONCLUSIONS
Expectancies play a meaningful role in students' current and future decisions whether to use ST.
Newman
Ian M
IM
Department of Educational Psychology and The Nebraska Prevention Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0345, USA. inewman1@unl.edu
Shell
Duane F
DF
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012718:Set, Psychology; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless / Q000009:adverse effects