Time-Varying Effects of Smoking Quantity and Nicotine Dependence on Adolescent Smoking Regularity by Selya, Dierker, Rose, Hedeker, Tan, Li et al - Article Example

Introduction This paper focuses on the influence of smoking quantity and nicotine dependence on adolescent smoking behaviour. Specifically, the current paper is a critical review of a study conducted by Arielle S. Selya, Lisa C. Dierker, Jennifer S. Rose, Donald Hedeker, Xianming Tan, Runze Li, and Robin J. Mermelstein. The 2012 study sought to examine the time –varying effects of smoking quantity and nicotine dependence on the regularity of smoking behaviour among adolescents. From the title, it is clear that the journal article seeks to expound on the role played by both smoking quantity and nicotine dependence in smoking frequency, and how the effects of these correlations vary over time. The study was based on the on-going Social and Emotional Contexts of Adolescent Smoking Patterns Study. The key emergent factor, in the study, was that while smoking quantity and nicotine dependence were significantly associated with adolescent smoking regularity, the magnitude of each effect displayed substantial variation over time (Selya, et al. 2013). Extensive research has shown that nicotine dependence is a critical contributory factor in the development of regular smoking behaviour. However, research has been unable to distinctively disentangle the comparative, contributory roles of nicotine dependence vs. smoking exposure in the establishment of regular smoking behaviour among individuals, particularly since these measures change over time. In their study, the authors argue that the effects of smoking exposure and nicotine dependence on regularity in smoking vary in size during the progression to regular smoking behaviour. To this effect, the authors suggested that, in the early stages of an individual’s smoking career, smoking quantity may be strongly linked to regular smoking while prolonged cigarette exposure led to nicotine dependence and subsequently smoking regularity (Selya, et al. 2013, p. 231). Method The researchers analysed data from 1344 high school students who had some previous smoking behaviour, using a sample from the on-going Social and Emotional Contexts of Adolescent Smoking Patterns Study. The sample was recruited on the basis of their geographic location, ethnic/racial diversity, size, readiness to work with research staff in obtaining parental consent, readiness to offer a school liaison to the study, as well as the available space for recruitment and data collection activities. The participants were monitored over five assessment waves over a period of 48 months. The selected participants were screened in the smoking behaviour survey where all students who (1) had smoked in the previous 90 days and had smoked 100 cigarettes in their lifetime (current experimenters), or (3) had smoked Read More