Adolescents' Cognitive Appraisals of Cigarette Smoking: An Application of the Protection Motivation Theory1
- 1 November 1997
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Applied Social Psychology
- Vol. 27 (22) , 1972-1985
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1997.tb01635.x
Abstract
High‐school students (N = 690) provided their cognitive appraisals of protection motivation theory (PMT; Prentice‐Dunn & Rogers, 1986) factors in the context of cigarette smoking. A logistic regression analysis revealed that PMT predicted adolescents' current smoking behavior. Cognitions, including greater personal vulnerability to smoking‐related diseases, minimizing the severity of the consequences of smoking, perceiving adolescent male smokers to be popular and mature, and perceiving limited health benefits for not smoking were found to be significant predictors of current smoking behavior. Intending to quit smoking in the near future was related to smoking occasionally, as opposed to regularly, and to perceiving the long‐term risks of smoking to be severe. Possible applications for intervention programs are discussed.Keywords
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