Parental support and control and early adolescent smoking: a longitudinal study.

The aim of this study is to examine the role of parental support and control on young adolescent smoking initiation, increase, continuation, and cessation. Longitudinal data gathered every 6 months over a one-year period were collected in Utrecht, The Netherlands, for 1,012 adolescents in 2000. Logistic regressions demonstrated that low parental control predicted adolescent smoking initiation but neither support nor control predicted adolescent smoking increase or continuation. Parental smoking status was important in adolescent smoking continuation and cessation. Suggestions based on these findings are made for prevention programs. A limitation is that the study only utilized adolescent reports.