Parental communication appears not to be an effective strategy to reduce smoking in a sample of Dutch adolescents.
This longitudinal study examined the reciprocal effects of the frequency of parent-adolescent communication on tobacco-related issues (smoking-specific communication), and adolescents' smoking. Participants were 428 Dutch older and younger siblings between 13 and 16 years old. Smoking-specific communication did not affect youth smoking in general; however, among younger, but not older, siblings, smoking-specific communication was associated with a higher likelihood of smoking over time. In addition, when adolescents already smoked parents started to talk more frequently about smoking-related issues with their older and younger adolescents later on. Neither the quality of smoking-specific communication, the quality of parent-adolescent relationship, nor parental smoking moderated these reciprocal effects. In conclusion, prevention campaigns encouraging parents to undertake smoking-specific communication might not be desirable.
Harakeh
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Z
Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands. z.harakeh@uu.nl
Engels
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R
Den Exter Blokland
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E
Scholte
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Vermulst
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A
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016540:Smoking Cessation