Relationship between Parental Bonding and Tobacco Specific Practices as Predictors of Tobacco Usage in Adults.

INTRODUCTION

Parents influence their child's conduct and adolescence hostility either directly or indirectly. Similarly children can acquire a particular behaviour by observing and intentionally imitating their parents in order to simply copy them without understanding the positive or negative outcome.

AIM

To assess and compare the association between parental tobacco usage and parental bonding with participants tobacco usage habits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 adults. Information pertaining to demographics, parental bonding (using parental bonding index) and behavioural habits (e.g., smoking, alcohol) of both participants and their parents was collected with the use of a questionnaire-based interview. Tobacco usage was measured as categorical variable as ever chewer and never chewer. Chi-square test, independent sample t-test, multinomial logistic regression and rotated factor loadings was used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

Majority of the participants were males with a mean age of 30.4±8.5 years. Tobacco use was prevalent among less educated males. Parental smokeless tobacco use, paternal alcohol and maternal paan chewing was significantly associated with participants adverse habits. Multinomial logistic regression showed a significant association between parental and participant's tobacco usage. Perceived parental bonding were also significantly associated with participant's tobacco usage habit.

CONCLUSION

Parental bonding measures and tobacco usage was significantly associated with the participant's tobacco use. Hence, interventional and educational efforts to weaken intergenerational influences should target parents. In addition to parents, the smoking behaviour of adults should also be targeted for prevention efforts.