Sensation seeking and smoking: should wefocus more on sensation seeker adolescents in prevention wor

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Sensation seeking and smoking should we focus
more on sensation seeker adolescents in
prevention work?

• Róbert Urbán PhD
• evaluation and research manager
• Smoking Cessation Center, Budapest
• Eötvös Loránd University
• Department of Personality and Health Psychology

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Budapest Adolescent Smoking Study

• Aims
• to understand the predictors of smoking onset,
  maintenance, and nicotine dependence in Hungarian
  adolescent population
• to inform smoking prevention program targeting
  adolescents
• The study is supported by the Fogarty
  International Center, the National Cancer
  Institute, and the National Institutes on Drug
  Abuse, within the National Institutes of Health
  (NIH). 

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BASS - Study design
Longitudinal design
Sampling method cluster sampling, Sampling unit
is classes 105 classes and 2565 students at the
first wave.
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Parental attitude toward smoking
Household smoking
Susceptibility to smoking
Negative consequences
Availability of cigarette
Age
TAR
Positive reinforcement
Smoking status
Sensation seeking
Peer norms and pressure
Negative reinforcement
Delinquency
Nicotine dependence
First exp. from smoking
Depressive symptoms
Appetite and weight control
Alcohol use
Weight concerns
Readiness to quit
Smoking prevention
Physical activity
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Sensation Seeking

• A personality trait related to the seeking of
  varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations
  and experiences, and the willingness to take
  physical, social, legal, and financial risks for
  the sake of such experience. (Zuckerman, 1994,
  p. 27)
• It peaks at age 16.0 in girls and 18.5 in boys
  (Romer Hennessy, 2007).

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How sensation seeker kids look like?
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Why should we focus on sensation seeker kids?

• High sensation seeker kids 3 times more likely
  (OR3.03 2.52-3.63) smoked cigarettes during
  the past 30 days at the first wave.
• Between the first and second wave some kids (who
  earlier have not tried a cigarette) have tried
  cigarette. Higher sensation seeker kids tried a
  cigarette 88 more likely (OR1.88
  1.35-2.62).

N2512 age and gender are controlled.
Based on kids who were not smokers at the first
measurement N868 age and gender are controlled
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Sensation seeking and smoking
N951
N784
N503
N293
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Why sensation seekers are more prone to smoking?
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Sensation seeking and smoking
Peers (Wills et al. 1998)
Sensitivity to nicotine (Perkins et al., 2000)
Sensation seeking
Smoking
Tobacco advertisment receptivity
(Audrain-McGovern et al., 2003)
Smoking outcome expectancies
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Smoking related outcome expectancies?

• beliefs about the possible effects associated
  with smoking on behavior, cognition, moods, and
  emotions
• Negative consequences
• Positive/sensory reinforcement
• Negative reinforcement
• Appetite and weight control
• Boredom reduction
• Etc.

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Smoking related outcome expectancies?
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Smoking related outcome expectancies?

• beliefs about the possible effects associated
  with smoking on behavior, cognition, moods, and
  emotions
• Negative consequences
• Positive/sensory reinforcement
• Negative reinforcement
• Appetite and weight control
• Boredom reduction
• Etc.

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Mediational analysis
?2(471)3363 CFI0.951 TLI0.945 RMSEA0.049
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Implications?
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Optimal Level of Arousal
Donohew, L., Lorch, E., Palmgreen, P. (1991).
Sensation seeking and targeting of televised
anti-drug PSAs. In L. Donohew, H. E. Sypher, W.
J. Bukoski (Eds.), Persuasive communication and
drug abuse prevention (pp. 209-226). Hillsdale,
NJ Erlbaum.
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Communication with high sensational value

• highly novel, creative, or unusual
• complex
• intense
• dramatic
• physically arousing (exciting, stimulating)
• produces strong emotions (even fear)
• graphic or explicit

• ambiguous
• unconventional
• fast-paced
• suspenseful
• an absence of preaching
• less closure
• strong sound and visual effects
• use of close-ups

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Palmgreen et al. (2001). Am. J. of Public Health,
91(2). 292-296.
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Thank you!