Reasons for quitting and smoking temptation among adolescent smokers: Gender differences

Adolescent cigarette smokers from randomly selected classrooms from 24 Cali fornia and Illinois high schools were assessed regarding their interest in cessation, reasons for quitting, and smoking temptation circumstances. Thes e data were analyzed by gender. Males and females were not found to differ in quit stage or perceived likelihood of ever quitting smoking, although ma les reported being somewhat more likely to have ever tried to quit in the p ast. The associations of reasons for quitting were not found to vary by gen der in most comparisons. On the other hand, the associations of smoking tem ptation circumstances with gender showed that a greater percentage of femal es than males reported more circumstances that would make them tempted to s moke. Smoking cigarettes to regulate one's affective states, and to avoid n icotine withdrawal, may be functions of smoking that impede efforts at quit ting, particularly among adolescent females.