Social influence and psychological determinants of smoking among inner-city adolescents

Adolescent smoking continues to rise in the United States. Individuals from economically-disadvantaged households appear at high risk for smoking. Thi s study focused on a sample of economically-disadvantaged adolescents atten ding New York City schools (N = 1875). Longitudinal predictors of smoking f rom four domains (socio-demographic background information, social influenc es to smoke, social and personal competence, and individual differences) we re tested. Social influences to smoke, from mothers and friends, both predi cted smoking one year later. Poor decision-making skills, and low psycholog ical well-being also predicted subsequent smoking. Conclusion: These findin gs support social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) and problem behavior theo ry (Jessor, 1991). Furthermore, the results suggest that training adolescen ts to resist social influences to smoke, to problem solve and make sound de cisions, and how to cope with psychological distress are among the key comp onents for effective smoking prevention approaches.