Citation

Lejuez CW, Aklin WM, Bornovalova M, Moolchan ET. Nicotine Tob. Res. 2005; 7(1): 71-79.

Affiliation

Department of Psychlogy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. clejuez@psyc.umd.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Publisher Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1080/14622200412331328484

PMID

15804679

Abstract

Because adolescent smoking is a significant public health concern, potential value lies in understanding and identifying the psychological factors that distinguish ever- and never-smokers. To that end, we examined the relationship between risk-taking propensity as measured by the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and ever-smoking (i.e., even one puff) versus never-smoking in a sample of 125 predominantly African American high-school adolescents (M = 15.1, SD = 1.5). Results indicated that ever-smokers and never-smokers differed on risk-taking propensity; further risk-taking propensity was related to smoking status above and beyond both demographic variables and a measure of self-reported impulsive sensation seeking. We discuss these results in relation to the potential utility of a multimethod assessment approach (i.e., self-report measures and behavioral tasks) to identify adolescents' risk-taking susceptibilities and engagement in smoking and other risk-taking behaviors.

Language: en