IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v15y2018i4p767-d141282.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Boy Smokers’ Rationalisations for Engaging in Potentially Fatal Behaviour: In-Depth Interviews in The Netherlands

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Schreuders

    (Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Centre, 1100DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Nikha T. Krooneman

    (Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Centre, 1100DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Bas Van den Putte

    (Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1018WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    Trimbos Institute, Netherlands Institute for Mental Health and Addiction, 3521VS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Anton E. Kunst

    (Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Centre, 1100DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Adolescent smokers engage in cognitive rationalisation processes that lower perceptions of personal vulnerability to the health consequences of smoking. There is, however, hardly any evidence that provides in-depth insights on adolescents’ recurring rationalisations. Therefore, we explored how boy smokers deal with the knowledge that they are engaging in potentially fatal behaviour. Interviews were held with 16 boy smokers aged 16 to 17 years old. The qualitative analysis focussed on combining boys’ reasons about why they think they will not experience severe health consequences into coherent rationalisations that recurred among interviewees. Three rationalisations emerged from the analysis. First, boys trivialize the immediate consequences and think these can be compensated for and are outweighed by the benefits of smoking. Second, boys assume that smoking will only take place during adolescence and they will, therefore, recover from the damage inflicted. Third, boys believe that they have control over the amount and frequency of smoking and, thereby, can ensure that they will not experience fatal consequences. Boys’ recurring rationalisations build on their view that they are supposed to have fun and will not become typical adult smokers. Interventions should address these rationalisations in order to increase adolescents’ perceptions of personal vulnerability, and thereby contribute to decreasing adolescent smoking.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Schreuders & Nikha T. Krooneman & Bas Van den Putte & Anton E. Kunst, 2018. "Boy Smokers’ Rationalisations for Engaging in Potentially Fatal Behaviour: In-Depth Interviews in The Netherlands," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-13, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:4:p:767-:d:141282
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/4/767/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/4/767/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johnson, Joy L. & Bottorff, Joan L. & Moffat, Barbara & Ratner, Pamela A. & Shoveller, Jean A. & Lovato, Chris Y., 2003. "Tobacco dependence: adolescents' perspectives on the need to smoke," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(7), pages 1481-1492, April.
    2. Mythily Subramaniam & Shazana Shahwan & Restria Fauziana & Pratika Satghare & Louisa Picco & Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar & Siow Ann Chong, 2015. "Perspectives on Smoking Initiation and Maintenance: A Qualitative Exploration among Singapore Youth," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-15, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Michael Schreuders & Loekie Klompmaker & Bas van den Putte & Anton E Kunst, 2019. "Adolescent Smoking in Secondary Schools that Have Implemented Smoke-Free Policies: In-Depth Exploration of Shared Smoking Patterns," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-13, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Elena Raptou & Konstadinos Mattas & Constantinos Katrakilidis, 2009. "Investigating Smoker's Profile: The Role of Psychosocial Characteristics and the Effectiveness of Tobacco Policy Tools," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(2), pages 603-638, April.
    2. Haines, Rebecca J. & Johnson, Joy L. & Carter, Connie I. & Arora, Kamal, 2009. ""I couldn't say, I'm not a girl" - Adolescents talk about gender and marijuana use," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(11), pages 2029-2036, June.
    3. Eleni Raptou & Konstadinos Mattas & Efthimia Tsakiridou & Constantinos Katrakilidis, 2005. "Factors Affecting Cigarette Demand," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 11(3), pages 275-290, August.
    4. Dusko Bjelica & Kemal Idrizovic & Stevo Popovic & Nedim Sisic & Damir Sekulic & Ljerka Ostojic & Miodrag Spasic & Natasa Zenic, 2016. "An Examination of the Ethnicity-Specific Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Substance Use and Misuse: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Croatian and Bosniak Adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-15, September.
    5. repec:kap:iaecre:v:11:y:2005:i:3:p:275-290 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Anh Kim Dang & Bach Xuan Tran & Long Hoang Nguyen & Hoa Thi Do & Cuong Tat Nguyen & Mercedes Fleming & Huong Thi Le & Quynh Ngoc Hoang Le & Carl A. Latkin & Melvyn W. B. Zhang & Roger C. M. Ho, 2018. "Customers’ Perceptions of Compliance with a Tobacco Control Law in Restaurants in Hanoi, Vietnam: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-13, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:4:p:767-:d:141282. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.