Abstract
BackgroundSmoking prevalence has been shown to be considerably higher among single mothers as compared to their married or cohabiting counterparts. This study examines whether this could be attributed to single mothers’ different capability in dealing with stress.MethodsBased on cross-sectional data of 3129 German mothers, the study explores the associations between single motherhood, coping styles and moderate and heavy smoking pattern using a regression-based ‘parallel multiple mediator model’.ResultsSingle mothers showed higher rates of negative coping styles than partnered mothers, holding for ‘self-blame/rumination’ (p < 0.001), ‘blaming others’ (p = 0.048) and in particular for ‘substance consumption’ (p < 0.001). With respect to positive coping styles the findings were heterogeneous: while partnered mothers scored higher on ‘active influence’ (p < 0.001), single mothers showed higher values of ‘positive self-verbalisation’ (p < 0.001). Evidence for a mediating effect of coping styles on the relationship between single motherhood and moderate as well as heavy smoking was only found for ‘substance consumption’. Moreover, single motherhood may moderate the effect of ‘self-blame/rumination’ on heavy smoking (p = 0.025). Against expectations, higher levels of ‘active influence’ were not associated with lower but with significant higher odds of moderate smoking (OR = 1.19).ConclusionSingle mothers compared to partnered mothers showed a different ability to cope with stress. However, only the coping strategy ‘substance consumption’ mediates the relationship between single motherhood and smoking. Exclusively in single mothers, ‘self-blame/rumination’ was associated with heavy smoking, indicating that they might utilize smoking as a way to come to terms with negative ruminative thoughts.
Highlights
Smoking prevalence has been shown to be considerably higher among single mothers as compared to their married or cohabiting counterparts
A wealth of empirical studies demonstrates increased smoking rates in single mothers compared with married and cohabitating mothers [1,2,3,4]. This phenomenon has been attributed to single mothers’ increased levels of psychosocial stress which could be found for financial hardship [5], poor psychosocial working conditions and work-family conflicts [6], child care responsibilities [2] and social exclusion [7]
There is still a lack of knowledge to what extent single and partnered mothers differ with respect to coping strategies and how these differences may contribute to higher smoking rates in single mothers
Summary
Smoking prevalence has been shown to be considerably higher among single mothers as compared to their married or cohabiting counterparts. A wealth of empirical studies demonstrates increased smoking rates in single mothers compared with married and cohabitating mothers [1,2,3,4]. This phenomenon has been attributed to single mothers’ increased levels of psychosocial stress which could be found for financial hardship [5], poor psychosocial working conditions and work-family conflicts [6], child care responsibilities [2] and social exclusion [7]. There is still a lack of knowledge to what extent single and partnered mothers differ with respect to coping strategies and how these differences may contribute to higher smoking rates in single mothers. The aim of this work was to analyse the role of stress-related coping strategies in mediating the relationship between single motherhood and smoking patterns
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
