title: The Protective Influence of Family Bonding on Smoking Initiation in Adolescents by Racial/Ethnic and Age Subgroups.
abstract: Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study examined the associations among family bonding factors and the initiation of smoking by race/ethnicity and age group among nonsmokers at Wave 1. Overall, 18% of the sample initiated smoking by Wave 2. For younger African American and Hispanic youth, high maternal satisfaction with the relationship was significantly protective of smoking initiation. For older Hispanics, high parental presence and high parent-family connectedness were protective against smoking initiation while lack of awareness about the adolescent's whereabouts was a risk factor for initiation in both younger and older Caucasians, and in the older Hispanics. Our results underscore the importance of maintaining high levels of family bonding with the adolescent throughout early and late adolescence in order to decrease tobacco initiation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
authors.forename: E Melinda
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mahabee-Gittens
authors.forename: Jane C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Khoury
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Lorah D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Dorn
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Ammerman
authors.forename: Judith S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gordon