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Maternal Influence on Tobacco Use among Black Adolescent Boys

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Abstract

Parents play an important role in delaying adolescent tobacco use, particularly through role modeling, parent-child relationships, and monitoring. Although these intrafamilial processes are relatively well documented, few studies have examined them among urban, Black mother-son dyads. Using data from 526 mothers and their adolescent sons living in public housing communities, this secondary longitudinal data analysis examined how parenting influenced adolescent boys’ tobacco use. Although mother-son closeness and maternal intention to communicate to sons about not smoking reduced the risk of tobacco use among Black adolescent boys, maternal role-modeling, particularly past 30-day use, emerged as the most significant predictor of tobacco use. Research findings highlight the need to shift from individual-level interventions toward strategies designed to change family system-level behaviors.

Highlight

  • Few studies have examined adolescent substance use in urban Black mother-son dyads.

  • Maternal parenting behaviors can delay the onset of tobacco use

  • Efforts to reduce smoking behaviors among urban Black mothers may not only reduce their use but also have a secondary effect on the tobacco use behaviors of their children.

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Funding

These analyses were supported by a grant from National Institute on Drug Abuse (R03 DA029707-01A1, Multi-PIs: J.A.C. & M.K.H.). The original intervention study was supported by a grant from National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH55742, PI: L.S.J.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health & Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, 02111, USA

    Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha

  2. Regional Program Coordinator- Sub-Saharan Africa, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA

    Ayomide Omotola

  3. Silver School of Social Work, Ehrenkranz Center, New York University, 1 Washington Square North, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Kathrine S. Sullivan

  4. Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Research, College of Nursing Nursing Education Center, University of Rhode Island, 350 Eddy Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    M. Katherine Hutchinson

  5. Kenneth B. Clark Professor of Communication, School of Medicine and Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 520, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA

    John B. Jemmott

  6. Vice President, Health and Health Equity; Professor, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, 1601 Cherry Street, Room 1067, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA

    Loretta S. Jemmott

  7. Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, 669W. 34th Street, MRF 214, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA

    Julie A. Cederbaum

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  1. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha
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  2. Ayomide Omotola
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  3. Kathrine S. Sullivan
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Correspondence to Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha.

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Amutah-Onukagha, N., Omotola, A., Sullivan, K.S. et al. Maternal Influence on Tobacco Use among Black Adolescent Boys. J Child Fam Stud 32, 3167–3175 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02505-9

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