Abstract
BackgroundTo date, all investigations on the relationship between smoking and perceived level of meaning in life have used cross-sectional designs. Therefore, the purpose of the present prospective study, conducted with a four-year time lag, was to test the predictive power of the life meaning construct concerning changes in smoking status.MethodsThe data of 4,294 respondents (40.3% male, Mage = 54.7 ± 16.5 yrs) from the Hungarian Epidemiological Panel Survey were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann–Whitney U-test and structural equation modeling (SEM) with a nominal outcome variable. Gender, age, and educational level were included in the study as covariates.ResultsOn the bivariate level, results showed that both baseline and follow-up meaning in life scores were higher in stable non-smokers when compared to stable smokers. However, quitters and starters differed from stable non-smokers in their baseline but not in follow-up life meaning scores. The other relationships (stable smokers vs. quitters; stable smokers vs. starters, starters vs. quitters) were non-significant in both time points. According to the SEM-analysis, a higher sense of meaning in life measured at baseline and follow-up is associated with a lower likelihood (OR = 0.54, z = 2.80, p = 0.005; OR = 0.64, z = 2.88, p = 0.004, respectively) of being a stable smoker compared to being a stable non-smoker, confirming the expected relationship between smoking and decreased level of meaning in life. However, neither baseline nor follow-up life meaning scores predicted significantly quitting and uptake of smoking.ConclusionsIf future research from other cultures verifies the protective role of a higher level of meaning in life against smoking, then smoking prevention and cessation programs will also have to include such components that help individuals experience more meaning in their lives.
Highlights
To date, all investigations on the relationship between smoking and perceived level of meaning in life have used cross-sectional designs
Sample and procedure The Hungarian Epidemiological Panel (HEP) is a prospective survey focused on the quality of life and the biopsychosocial causes of the development and progress of diseases of public health importance in the Hungarian adult population
Life meaning was significantly associated with smoking status at both T1 (OR = 0.51, CI = 0.42-0.65, z = 3.48, p < 0.001) and T2 (OR = 0.61, CI = 0.52-0.70, z = 3.60, p < 0.001) providing further evidence that a higher level of perceived meaning in life is associated with a lower probability of smoking
Summary
All investigations on the relationship between smoking and perceived level of meaning in life have used cross-sectional designs. The purpose of the present prospective study, conducted with a four-year time lag, was to test the predictive power of the life meaning construct concerning changes in smoking status. Having a weaker sense of purpose and meaning in life results in an increased proneness to boredom [9] and an enlarged sensitivity to societal pressures [8], thereby raising the probability of cigarette use [10], especially in those societies where attitudes toward smoking are permissive or encouraging. All of the examinations on this topic used cross-sectional designs; not allowing to test the predictive power of the life meaning construct regarding smoking behavior. The aim of the present study, was to examine whether meaning in life predicts smoking status in a longitudinal analysis
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