Fathers and sons: their relationship and personality characteristics associated with the son's smoking behavior

The purpose of the present study was to examine the interrelationship of the domains of father personality attributes, father socialization techniques, and adolescent personality attributes, and the son's use of tobacco. A sample of 246 male adolescents and their fathers from intact homes was administered questionnaires. Two main findings emerged. First, each of the three domains was significantly associated with the son's tobacco use despite control on the remaining domains. Second, the effectiveness of the father may interact synergistically with or be mitigated by the son's personality attributes in its association with the son's tobacco use. In concert, the findings support the importance of examining the father-son relationship for a greater understanding of the son's tobacco use.