Abstract: Adolescents affected by chronic illness, including asthma, engage in smoking behavior at similar or higher rates than healthy peers, despite heightened health risks. Researchers identified an inverse association between risk perception and smoking behavior, but elucidation of this pathway among adolescents with chronic illness and their well siblings warrants more research. The present ... read morestudy explored this pathway within a sample of 407 college students. Adolescents without siblings were excluded. Participants were adolescents diagnosed with a chronic illness, had a sibling with a chronic illness, or were from a well family. Separate analyses specifically examined adolescents from households with asthma. In addition to demographic characteristics, growing up in a household with asthma, low risk perception, low emotional functioning, and perception of low warmth within the sibling relationship predicted smoking behavior. Asthma in household status moderated the relationship between risk perception and smoking behavior. Findings highlight implications for interventions tailored to adolescents.
Thesis (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2017.
Submitted to the Dept. of Child Study and Human Development.
Advisor: Sasha Fleary.
Committee: Kerri Modry-Mandell, and Andrew Busch.
Keywords: Developmental psychology, and Public health.read less
