Bullying and smoking: Examining the relationships in Ontario adolescents

Using data from the 2003 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto), the relationships between bullying and smoking in adolescents were examined. A representative sample of 3314 grade 7-12 students was included in the analysis. Models were adjusted for confounders identified in the current literature. Multinomial logistic regression showed that current smokers were more likely to be bullies than nonsmokers (relative risk ratio = 2.3, p < .001); being a current smoker was not associated with being a victim or a bully/victim (one who is both a bully and a victim). Moreover, gender was found to modify the effect of smoking on bullying status. Female smokers were more likely to be bullies and bully/victims than nonsmokers while there were no statistically significant differences for males. The associations between bullying status and smoking are consistent with those found in a multinational World Health Organization survey of adolescent health. Findings of the study suggested that girls were at much higher risk for involvement in bullying if they smoked, although girls were less frequently involved in bullying.