Tobacco Use and Perceived Stress Among Male College Students in Bangalore, India

Abstract

BACKGROUND: More than 250 million individuals use tobacco in some form on a daily basis in India and adolescents make up a significant proportion of that number. The period of adolescence is critical in the initiation of smoking or tobacco use as well as its progression from experimentation to dependency. In this study, the role of psychological stress was explored with respect to cigarette consumption and level of addiction or dependence. METHODS: A total of 183 male college students (mean age= 19.8 years) from Bangalore, India completed the questionnaire booklet which included a Cigarette use screening form, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Autonomy over Smoking Scale. Of the 183 participants, there were 85 (46.2%) current smokers and 98 (53.7%) nonsmokers, and their scores on the perceived stress scale were compared using analysis of variance and independent samples _t_ tests. The relationship between levels of stress and dependence on tobacco (loss of autonomy) was also explored using Pearson’s product moment correlation (_r_). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between current smokers and nonsmokers on perceived stress (_t_[181] = -1.26, _p_ >0.05), The same result was extended when the group of nonsmokers was divided into three (Never smokers, experimental smokers and former regular smokers) and the differences in scores were tested again between all four groups (_F_[3, 179]=.642, _p_ >0.05). There was, however, a significant positive correlation between level of dependence on tobacco and perceived stress (_r_=.743, _p_ <0.01). CONCLUSION: The study found that there was no difference in perceived stress levels between smokers and nonsmokers, although there was a positive relationship between the level of perceived stress and level of tobacco dependence (loss of autonomy) among the current smokers.