Está en Artículos volumen 49 NÚMERO 3

Motivations for cigarette smoking in schooled adolescents: analysis of discussion groups

Tobacco is the second most prevalent psychoactive substance after alcohol among students
aged 14–18. This article examines adolescents’ motivations for smoking through their own
discourses in semi-directed discussion groups. The subjects in our study were 131 young
people aged 15–17 from nine secondary schools in Tarragona (Spain). The motives identified
for tobacco use revolved around eight main dimensions: the pursuit of fun and new sensations,
consumption as a rite of passage, consumption due to social contagion and peer pressure,
smoking as a form of flirting, influence of the family microsystem (e.g. having parents who
smoke), availability and ease of access, addiction and dependence, and low risk perception.
Unlike in previous studies, no significant gender differences in smoking motivations were
observed. This may be explained by the emergence of new models of femininity constructed
on the basis of girls’ imitation of certain values associated with masculinity.

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Autores

Anna Sánchez-Aragón - Social & Business Research Laboratory, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43005 Tarragona, España.
Inma Pastor-Gosálbez - Social & Business Research Laboratory, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43005 Tarragona, España.
Francesc Valls-Fonayet - Grup de Recerca en Infermeria Avançada, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43002 Tarragona, España.
Claudia Maria Anleu-Hernández - Medical Anthropology Research Center, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43005 Tarragona, España.
Angel Belzunegui-Eraso - Social & Business Research Laboratory, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43005 Tarragona, España.

Palabras clave:

Tobacco; adolescents; motivation; gender; focus group; qualitative analysis.