Cigarette smoking and other forms of tobacco use are responsible for over 440,000 deaths per year in the U.S. Health consequences associated with cigarette smoking include cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. Despite awareness of the health risks, approximately 21% of the U.S. adult population smokes. Efforts to-date to reduce smoking-related disease and illness have focused on prevention and intervention strategies that encourage cessation. Adolescence is a critical period for both intervention and prevention. Because more than three-fourths (80%) of adult smokers reported starting to smoke prior to the age of 18, prevention and brief intervention is likely to be most effective during this early period of time. In addition, earlier age of onset for smoking is associated with greater subsequent dependence severity, more substantive health sequelae, and less successful outcomes following subsequent quit attempts. Several studies have explored potential demographic and psychosocial variables that may help predict the likelihood adolescents may initiate smoking. Interestingly, many of these studies have focused predominately on Caucasian populations. Thus, is it unclear whether such findings hold true with population subgroups such as African American youth. In research to-date, AA and Caucasian groups differ in rates of smoking initiation, subsequent levels of nicotine dependence, and tobacco cessation efforts. Additionally, as adults, AA bear a disproportionate weight of smoking-related adverse health effects. Previous studies posit that certain variables (demographics, social/peer influences) may differentially influence smoking in AA adolescents. Clearly, more research is needed comparing predictors of AA adolescent smoking to those published with predominantly Caucasian adolescent samples. The present study (N=150) employed a computer-directed assessment to examine smoking in an urban sample of AA adolescents recruited through their primary care provider. The assessment included demographic and psychosocial variables previously found to predict the likelihood of an adolescent trying a cigarette in Caucasian adolescent samples (e.g., peer smoking, adult smoking in the home, self-esteem, and self-efficacy). Findings indicated that AA adolescent smokers (ever smokers) were more likely to have friends who have tried smoking, were more likely to have adult smokers in the home, and scored lower in self-efficacy skills germane to avoiding situations where smoking was present, as compared to nonsmokers. Additionally, computerized assessment for tobacco use was found to be useful in clinic settings. Study findings can aid in the development of specialized prevention and cessation campaigns for minority populations.

Tobacco use and the associated health risks are a major public health concern. Research suggests that parents’ own tobacco use, caregiver-adolescent antismoking communication, and parenting practices (e.g., prompting, parental monitoring) may work to influence adolescents’ tobacco-related attitudes and behavioral outcomes (e.g., refusal efficacy, intentions to use and actual use). Although historically African American adolescents have exhibited lower rates of tobacco use than their racial/ethnic counterparts, there is growing evidence to suggest that this may be changing because of increased use of tobacco products and/or underreporting of the use of alternative tobacco products or ATPs (e.g., cigars, cigarillos), among this population. The present study recruited a community-based sample of 101 urban African American caregivers that smoke (M = 41.1/SD = 9.9), and their adolescents between the ages of 12-17 (M = 14.4/SD = 1.9) to examine how caregiver tobacco-related messages (both verbal and non-verbal) shape adolescents’ tobacco attitudes, and behaviors. Dyads completed paper-pencil surveys separately and were compensated for their time and effort. A majority of the caregivers were single and living in low-income and public housing communities. Results from the analyses revealed high rates of adolescent tobacco use (lifetime) of both cigarettes and alternative tobacco products, and prompting (e.g., caregivers’ request that adolescents retrieve, buy, or smoke tobacco products with them). The findings also showed that all of the caregiver variables including: prompting, monitoring, as well as caregiver antismoking messages together impacted adolescents’ tobacco-related outcomes including their attitudes about tobacco, refusal efficacy and their intentions to use (at six months and adulthood), and their actual use. These findings underscore the need for more tobacco education that includes not only adolescents, but also parents, and other important caregivers (e.g., extended kin/family members) that helps increases knowledge surrounding the dangers of parental prompting, the importance of parental monitoring of youths whereabouts and peers, as well as parent-adolescent antismoking communication in reducing the prevalence of adolescent smoking/tobacco use (including the use of ATPs). This study also highlights the need for tobacco control and policies that limit adolescents’ exposure and access to tobacco products particularly among African Americans living in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

This study used survey design to explore the relationship between protective influences (support from parents, teachers and peers, social capital assets, and social support use), contextual risks, and two achievement outcomes in a representative sample of male and female African American high school seniors (N=317). Responses to two questionnaires, weighted cumulative grade point averages, and eleventh grade Virginia English Reading Standards of Learning test scores were analyzed. Multiple regression analysis revealed that some support variables were predictive of better achievement outcomes and others were associated with poorer outcomes. Three of the parent support predictors were associated with poorer achievement outcomes, suggesting that low-achieving African American students may have heightened needs for parent support during their senior year in high school, a point in time that determines the trajectory for years to follow. Even though 44 percent of the sample acknowledged a high level of exposure to contextual risks, its effects were more predictive of poorer outcomes for males than for females. This finding suggests that males may be more vulnerable to the effects of contextual risks. Additionally, only two support variables, Friend Support and Family Togetherness, moderated the influence of contextual risks on male student achievement. Qualitative findings revealed that important gender differences exist with regard to perceptions of support within the samples' home, school, and peer group environments. Females identified emotional support as a success factor more than males. In contrast, males acknowledged the importance of behavioral support as a school success factor. Both males and females endorsed tangible support as an important school success factor. Respondents also endorsed ambivalence about the role of peer support as a school success factor. Taken in combination, the study findings increase our understanding of the relationship between the context-linked experiences of urban African American adolescents and their achievement outcomes. The findings also support the critical need to extend our understanding about the role of contextual influences as we facilitate stronger connections between homes, schools, and communities. This document was created in Microsoft Word 2003 and Adobe Acrobat 7.0. The appendices are available and can be accessed in the print version only.

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This study employed a sample of African-American adolescent females from intact (n=279) and non-intact (n=219) families to examine the relationship between parenting processes (parental monitoring, parent-adolescent communication, parent-adolescent attachment, authoritative parenting) and delinquency. Results revealed no significant differences in parenting processes or delinquent participation for African-American adolescent females residing in either family structure. Parental monitoring predicted African-American adolescent female delinquency in both family structures; parent adolescent communication predicted delinquency among African-American adolescent females in non-intact families. Implications for family therapy are discussed. / Master of Science

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