Tobacco use triggers for mothers of infants: implications for pediatric nursing practice.

PURPOSE

To extend current knowledge of tobacco use by exploring whether subsets of mothers of infants have unique triggers for smoking relapse during the early stages of becoming a mother.

METHOD

Using data from a study of smoking relapse among mothers of infants (N = 133), comparative analyses were conducted for groups formed on the basis of their intention to be nonsmokers after delivery (yes/no) and their actual smoking behavior during the first 2 weeks of infant life (yes/no).

FINDINGS

The identified groups of mothers were found to be significantly different from one another in several ways, including self-reports that their baby's crying episodes caused them to think about smoking and their level of self-confidence to not smoke as response to infant crying.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric nurses in primary and acute care settings are in a unique position to support mothers for whom the challenge of handling infant cry episodes is a trigger for smoking behavior. Interventions that teach mothers how to cope with infant irritability are likely to support the smoking cessation efforts, and consequently, interrupt the intergenerational cycle of tobacco-related maternal and child health morbidities.