Family processes for children in early elementary school as predictors of smoking initiation

To assess the relationship between family processes measured when children are in early elementary school and initiation of cigarette smoking in early adolescence.

The analysis sample of 810 children was drawn from a longitudinal study of students from a suburban school district in the Pacific Northwest. Predictor variables were assessed when children were in second or third grade, and smoking initiation was measured when the children were in sixth or seventh grade. Measures of family processes were entered separately into logistic regression models that included controls for household structure and income, parent smoking, and peer and child characteristics.

Measures of child attachment to parent and parent involvement with the child's school were significantly and negatively associated with smoking initiation. Among control variables, parent smoking, child grade level, and child antisocial behavior and depression were the strongest predictors of smoking initiation.

The results point to the importance of family bonding and parent supportiveness as protective factors and parent smoking and early childhood antisocial behavior and depression as risk factors for smoking initiation in pre- or early adolescence.