Tobacco Abuse in Adolescents: The Role of Psychosocial Factors

The present investigation was done to examine the role of anxiety, stress, family conflict and family control in the determination of adolescents smoking. For accomplishing these objectives, a sample of 240 students studying in different schools from two districts of Himachal Pradesh (Shimla and Solan) was taken. The age range of the sample was 14-19 years. 2x2x2 factorial design was used to study the significance of difference between groups (smokers and nonsmokers), schools (public and private) and gender (males and females) on anxiety, stress, family conflict and family control. Results revealed that smokers irrespective of gender and type of school were significantly higher on anxiety, stress, family conflict and family control. Further, on family control the interaction effects of group or school and gender or school have been found to be significant