Psychological problems and psychosocial predictors of cigarette smoking behavior among undergraduate students in Malaysia.

Coumaravelou Saravanan,Imran Heidhy

doi:10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.18.7629

Coumaravelou Saravanan, Imran Heidhy

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.18.7629

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Abstract

Cigarette smokers have their own motivation and justification to smoke. For example, smoking reduces their stress or enhances their pleasure. This study aimed to identify the (a) prevalence of cigarette smokers among undergraduates in Malaysia, (b) gender differences in nicotine dependence among current smokers, (c) differences in psychological problems (depression, anxiety and stress) based on the status of smoking cigarettes (current, former and non-smokers) and (d) extent to which precipitating factors (tension reduction, addiction, automatism, handling, social interaction, pleasure, and stimulation) predict the smoking behavior among current smokers. In this study 780 undergraduate students participated from a private university in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor state in Malaysia. The Depression, Stress and Anxiety Scale, Modified Reason for Smoking Scale and Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependence Test were used to measure psychological problems, predictors of smoking behavior and nicotine dependency among current smokers. The results showed that 14.7%(n=106) of the students were smokers. Current smokers exhibited more psychological problems (depression, anxiety and stress) compared to former and non-smokers. Addiction, tension reduction, pleasure and automatism were predictors of smoking behavior among the current smoking students. Step wise regression analysis showed that smoking behavior was highly predicted by nicotine dependency or addiction. Smoking students were motivated to smoke cigarettes as they believed that it reduced their tension and enhance pleasure. Hence, there is a need for health promotion and anti-tobacco prevention as cigarette smokers experience more psychological problems. Nicotine dependency or addition was one of the major causes for smoking behavior among the student population in Malaysia.

Highlights

Cigarette smoking behavior are defined as actively smoking one or more manufactured or hand rolled cigarettes with the intention to inhale the tobacco smoke (Statistic New Zealand, 2013)
Predictors of smoking behavior A stepwise regression model was run with those independent variables addition, pleasure, tension, and automatism significantly correlated with smoking
This study was conducted to identify the difference in the psychological problems among current, former and non-smokers and examined at what extent stress, depression, anxiety, stimulation, handling, pleasure, tension reduction, addiction, automatism and social interaction are the predictor of cigarette smoking among current smokers from two private universities in Malaysia

Summary

Introduction

Cigarette smoking behavior are defined as actively smoking one or more manufactured or hand rolled cigarettes with the intention to inhale the tobacco smoke (Statistic New Zealand, 2013). Global Adult Tobacco Survey Malaysia (GATS) identified that out of 4250 participants, 32.5% of them werestudentsaged from 15 to years and 54.9% of adult aged from to 44 years were smokers in Malaysia (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012).This indicates cigarette smoking is considered as one of the major problem among the students population.Most of the smokers don’t believe that smoking cause serious illness and smokers think that smoking reduces their psychological distress than nonsmokers in Malaysia (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012; Zawahir et al, 2013). This study aimed to identify the (a) prevalence of cigarette smokers among undergraduates in Malaysia, (b) gender differences in nicotine dependence among current smokers, (c) differences in psychological problems (depression, anxiety and stress) based on the status of smoking cigarettes (current, former and non-smokers) and (d) extent to which precipitating factors (tension reduction, addiction, automatism, handling, social interaction, pleasure, and stimulation) predict the smoking behavior among current smokers.

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