Perceived father's care protects adolescents from transitions to tobacco use at a highly vulnerable age: a short-term longitudinal study

Abstract

Early experimentation with tobacco is predictive of nicotine dependence and long-term physical harm. The mean age of tobacco initiation is 15 years, signalling the need to examine key protective influences operating at this particularly vulnerable age. This study examined the unique prospective relationship between perceived father's care and smoking behaviour among mid-teens. High school students (n = 112) at this critical age were assessed at two time points (6 months apart). At Time 1, measures of recent smoking (last month – present/absent), mother and father's care, sensation seeking, heavy episodic alcohol use (past month), and academic performance were administered. The Time 2 measures were recent smoking and heavy alcohol use (last month). The results were analysed using binary logistic regression of recent smoking at Time 2 (present/absent). The key finding of the study was that fathers’ care uniquely predicted recent smoking at Time 2 independent of recent smoking at Time 1 and other independent predictors. The results suggest that fathers have a significant role to play in protecting teenagers from tobacco use at a developmental stage where the risk of smoking uptake is high. The results point to the potential utility of tobacco and other drug prevention strategies that focus on building father–adolescent relationship quality before and during high-risk developmental stages.