Parent Resource Center
“Parents are the single most important influence on children’s decision to smoke, drink, or use drugs, yet many parents do not fully understand the extent of their influence.”Next→
- The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Malignant Neglect: Substance Abuse and America's Schools. 2001.
“Adolescents who reported a ‘connectedness’ to their parents were the least likely to engage in risky behaviors. These adolescents felt close to their parents believed their parents and family members cared for them, and were satisfied with their family relationships.”←Previous | Next→
- Simantov E et al. Health-compromising behaviors: Why do adolescents smoke or drink? Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2000.
“Among teens who have dinner with their families five or more nights in a typical week, 86 percent report that they have never tried cigarettes, compared with 65 percent of those teens who have dinner with their families two nights a week or less.←Previous
- The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The Importance of Family Dinners. 2003.
As a parent, you have a vital role in helping your child avoid risky behaviors, including smoking. In fact, you are the single most important influence on your child's decisions about risky behaviors. View Expert Research
Boys and girls were significantly less likely to smoke if they experienced lower levels of conflict with parents, and had parents who had high expectations, were knowledgeable about them, and engaged in authoritative parenting practices.Next→
- Simons-Morton B et al. Psychosocial, school and parent factors associated with recent smoking among early-adolescent boys and girls. Preventive Medicine (28) 138-48. 1999.
“Parental support as a protective factor encompassed several dimensions, including emotional support, closeness, and communication. Strong parental support was significantly associated with reduced risks of smoking.”←Previous
- Simantov E et al. Health-compromising behaviors: Why do adolescents smoke or drink? Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2000.
Your involvement and parenting style with your kids have a significant effect on their likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors.
Parents who are involved, responsive and who hold their children to a reasonable but high standard of behavior tend to have kids who are less likely to smoke than those whose parents do not. View Expert Research
“Adolescents who perceive that their parents would strongly object to their smoking are less likely to become smokers.”Next→
- Sargent JD, Dalton M. Does parental disapproval of smoking prevent adolescents from becoming established smokers? Pediatrics. 2001.
“Hands-on’ parents—parents who establish a household culture where they consistently set down rules and expectations for their teen's behavior and monitor what their teen does, have teens at substantially lower risk of smoking, drinking, and using illegal drugs than the average teen.”←Previous
- The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VI: Teens. 2001.
Parents who clearly communicate their disapproval of smoking and consistently set firm rules and standards of behavior for their kids may greatly reduce the risk of their kids smoking. View Expert Research
“Parental involvement, monitoring, and expectations provided direct protective effects against smoking progression as well as indirect effects, by limiting increases in number of friends who smoke.”
- Simons-Morton B et al. Latent growth curve analyses of peer and parent influences on smoking progression among early adolescents. Health Psychology. 23(6) 612-21. 2004
The absence of positive family interaction and parental support can lead to a wide variety of undesirable and risky behaviors among youth. View Expert Research
“When parents are 'hands on'–meaning they supervise their teenagers and impose rules or standards of behavior–their teenagers are at substantially lower risk of substance abuse than teens from 'hands off' households.”
- The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VI: Teens. 2001.
Finding the time to talk to your kids about not smoking may seem challenging, considering all of the other important topics you need to discuss with them, yet it is critical in helping your kids avoid smoking.
Kids whose parents regularly talk to them about not smoking are less likely to smoke.11: Chassin, L., Presson, C., Todd, M., Rose, J., and Sherman, S. (1998). Maternal socialization of adolescent smoking: The intergenerational transmission of parenting and smoking. Developmental Psychology, 34(6), 1189-1201.,22: Jackson, C. (1997). Initial and experimental stages of tobacco and alcohol use during late childhood: Relation to peer, parent and personal risk factors. Addictive Behaviors, 22(5), 685-698.,33: Jackson, C., & Henriksen, L. (1997). Do as I say: Parent smoking, antismoking socialization, and smoking onset among children. Addictive Behaviors, 22(1), 107-114. View Expert Research
“...parental admonitions against smoking and drinking are effective even in families in which the parents engage in the behaviors.”Next→
- Johnson PB and Johnson HL. Reaffirming the power of parental influence on adolescent smoking and drinking decisions. Adolescent & Family Health, Spring 2001, 2(1):40-41
“Regardless of whether or not their parents smoke, kids are less likely to smoke if their parents talk with them [regularly] about not smoking.”←Previous
- Jackson C and Henriksen L. Do as I say: Parent smoking, antismoking socialization, and smoking onset among children. Addictive Behaviors. 22(1), 107-114. 1996.
Some parents who smoke feel uncomfortable about talking to their kids about not smoking. Don't let this deter you from talking to your kids. Research among kids with parents who smoke, shows that the kids with parents who talk to them about not smoking are less likely to smoke.
Since kids with parents who smoke are at an increased risk of smoking, it is especially important that parents who smoke continue to have these conversations with their kids throughout their adolescent years. View Expert Research
