Do children of lone parents smoke more because their mothers do?

Br J Addict. 1990 Nov;85(11):1497-500. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1990.tb01635.x.

Abstract

This short report examines the association between smoking behaviours of mothers and their 15 year old children, and whether there is a difference between families headed by a mother living alone or with a partner. It is based on data collected from a cohort of young people and their mothers (N = 967), resident in the West of Scotland. We found no evidence that children of lone mothers smoke more because their mothers do; the familial transmission of smoking behaviour, at 15, appeared to be less apparent in households headed by lone than cohabiting mothers.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Imitative Behavior
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Mother-Child Relations*
  • Scotland / epidemiology
  • Single Parent / psychology*
  • Single Parent / statistics & numerical data
  • Smoking / epidemiology
  • Smoking / psychology*