2018 Articles

Perceived parental reactions to substance use among adolescent vapers compared with tobacco smokers and non-users in Iceland

Kristjansson, Alfgeir L.; Allegrante, John P.; Sigfusdottir, Inga Dora

OBJECTIVES: The objective is to assess perceived parental reactions to cigarette smoking, vaping, drunkenness, and marijuana use among cigarette smokers, vapers, and those who neither smoke nor vape (non-users).

STUDY DESIGN: It is a population-based, cross-sectional, school survey with all accessible 13- to 16-year-old students in Iceland (response rate: 84.1%).

METHODS: Data were analyzed in Mplus using multinomial logistic regression for categorical data with maximum likelihood and robust standard errors, adjusting for potential school clustering.

RESULTS: Across all four outcome categories and controlling for background factors, non-users were more likely than vapers and smokers to perceive their parental reactions to substance use as negative (P < 0.01). Vapers were significantly more likely than smokers to perceive their parental reactions as negative toward all types of substance use (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent smokers, vapers, and non-users appear to form a sequential risk gradient toward perceived parental reactions to substance use, with smokers being least likely to perceive their parental reactions as negative and vapers thereafter; non-users are most likely to perceive their parental reactions toward substance use as negative.