Interaction between parents and adolescents in families with tobacco addiction

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Interaction between parents and adolescents in families with tobacco addiction

Vira Kramchenkova, Tamara Khomulenko

Introduction

Smoking is a most common form of substance abuse throughout the world. Adolescence is the prevalent period of initiating smoking and the formation of tobacco addiction in adulthood. Behavior and habits are formed under the constant influence of the environment whose central element is the family. The key subsystem of the family as an integral system of external and internal ties is the relationships between parents and children. The perception of the effect of smoking on family functioning in families with tobacco addiction affects the relationships and mediates the adolescent's attitude to smoking as a social phenomenon.

In most studies of adolescent smoking risk factors, special attention is paid to the impact of the social environment, parents and peers, the availability of cigarettes and social support for tobacco use (Cano, 2012; Khod- dam, 2013; Rezaeetalab, 2012). The relationship between smoking, child injuries and family stressors is also reported (Iakunchykova, 2015). Some studies show that early initiation of smoking increases the likelihood of developing nicotine addiction (Buchmann, 2013).

The role of the family in the formation of various forms of addictive behavior is investigated in psychology as a defect in socialization or as a sign of dysfunctional family relationships. M. Stanton points out that addiction occurs when the family does not have the ability to resolve crises, when the communication between parents and a child fails, and as a result the child faces traumatic losses, fear of loneliness, etc. D. Elliot believes that the reason of adolescent addiction is the lack of opportunities for approval, J. Hawkins, J. Weiss state it is tension in family relationships. D. Olson, E. Eidemiller, V. Yustitskis, V. Moskalenko argue that addiction is a reaction to a dysfunction of an integral family system, a symptom that supports family homeostasis. It emphasizes the significance of the so-called “vicious circle” when children reproduce inadequate behavior patterns of parents (Kramchenkova, 2016).

The imitation of behavioral models is largely due to the observation of parental behavior and their attitudes to smoking. This explains the higher risk of smoking in adolescents from families with tobacco addiction. In addition, smokers' children are more likely to maintain a positive attitude towards smoking (Dwivedi, 2013). The study of parent-child relationships as a risk factor for tobacco use is presented in the study by J. Cano et al., who analyzed different levels of communication and control as a factor in adolescent smoking, and it has been shown that authoritative parenting styles reduce the risk of tobacco use in adolescence as compared to authoritarian, sympathetic and disdainful upbringing (Cano, 2012).

Consequently, the issue of the beliefs regarding the impact of smoking on family functions in the relationships between parents and children in families with tobacco addiction needs detailed investigation.

family relationship addiction formation

Aim and Tasks

The paper aims to determine typological peculiarities of parent-child interaction in families with different effects of smoking on the realization of family functions.

Objectives of the study are as follows:

1) to identify and describe typological profiles of the views of families' members with tobacco addiction on the impact of smoking on the realization of family functions;

2) to characterize parent-child relationships and conduct a comparative analysis of the parameters of interaction, depending on the perceptions of the impact of smoking on the implementation of family functions.

Research Methods

The study involved 134 two-parent families, which included at least one smoker. The subjects were mothers and fathers aged from 35 to 50 years (N = 268) and their children (aged from 12 to 17 years) (N = 134). We applied the Impact of Smoking on Family Functioning Test by V.O. Kramchenkova, which helped us to determine variants of the influence of smoking on the main functions of the family (Kramchenkova, 2017) and Father- Child Interaction Inventory by I. M. Markovska (Mar- kovska, 2007), which determines basic characteristics of the relationships between parents and children. It has two parallel forms - for parents and adolescents. Percent standardization was used to assess and interpret data (Markovska, 2007). Statistical data processing was performed using the k-means clustering method, the Kruskal- Wallis Test for several independent samples. Statistical calculations were performed using the SPSS Statistics 21.0 software package.

Research Results

At the first stage of the study with the help of cluster analysis, the study of typological profiles of the influence of smoking on the implementation of family functions (Fig. 1) was carried out.

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According to the results of clustering data, five clusters or psychological profiles have been formed.

The first profile (30.10% of the respondents) is characterized by high indicators of the negative impact of smoking on the implementation of the educational function and the average indicators for other family functions. This profile is characterized by the belief that smoking in the family impedes education, full emotional and positive communication, cooperation and harmonious development of children. This profile can be called “family educational function violation”. The fact that the study was conducted with the participation of families with tobacco addiction suggests that smoking is a source of negative psycho-emotional states and non-harmonic educational strategies.

The second profile (24.63% of the subjects) is characterized by high indices of negative impact on all family functions. According to it, smoking has a devastating effect on family functioning. Smoking prevents satisfaction of material needs, fair distribution of family budget and home duties, creation of home comfort, it harms upbringing, satisfaction of sexual needs of spouses, prevents communication, mutual enrichment as well as personal and intellectual growth of family members, reduces the possibility of meeting needs in sympathy, respect, recognition, emotional support, psychological protection, and also impedes the implementation of social norms by family members. This profile can be called “general violation of family functions”. Consequently, tobacco addiction in such families serves as a source of conflicts, and smoking itself as a source of an intrapersonal conflict and negative interpersonal reactions.

The third profile (20.65% of the respondents) is characterized by average indices for all scales, which has an accompanying effect on family functions. It provides a neutral attitude to smoking in the context of family functioning, so it can be conventionally marked as “neutral influence on family functions”. Such a situation may be due to the attitudes of the microsocial environment and the individual mechanisms of psychological protection as a result of adaptation to smoking in a close environment or one's own tobacco addiction.

The fourth profile (15.17% of the respondents) is characterized by high indicators of negative influence on household and educational function, as well as the function of primary social control and the average indicators of the impact on sexual, emotional and cultural (spiritual) communication functions. The respondents of this category believe that the smoker cannot be a good parent, does not meet social norms and cannot be a model of moral behavior. This profile can be conventionally marked as “violation of household, and primary control functions”. It is important to note that the respondents are tobacco addicts or are in close family relations with smokers, which should stimulate negative psycho-emotional states, including anger, shame and guilt.

The fifth profile (9.45% of the respondents) is characterized by average indicators of the impact on the educational and sexual functions and the reduced indicators of influence on the household, emotional, cultural communication and primary control functions. These people believe smoking contributes to the implementation of many family functions and does not affect others. Thus, smoking is a peculiar family and individual coping, the use of which does not contradict social norms, structures the way of life and homework, common leisure, facilitates information exchange and discussion of important issues, provides emotional stabilization, mutual understanding and compassion. This profile can be designated as “promotion of family functions realization”.

At the second stage of the study, the characteristics of the interaction of adolescents and their parents were studied, depending on the profile of the effect of smoking on family functioning (Table 1). According to the results of the study, the respondents of the “educational function violation” profile are characterized by lower indicators of exactingness, severity, cooperation, consent, consistency, authority, satisfaction and average indicators of emotional bonds, control and adoption in parent-child relationships. Such interaction is manifested in the inconsistency of demands, rewards and punishments, educational insecurity, and as a result reduces the level of consent between parents and adolescents in various life situations and parenting authority. The inconsistency and contradictory interaction results in the reduction of cooperation and recognition of the rights and dignity of the adolescent.

The respondents of the “general violation of family functions” profile are characterized by reduced indicators of consent, emotional bonds, cooperation, consistency, authority, satisfaction and average indicators of severity and control. Interaction in the families of this profile tends to an authoritarian controlling style. Exactingness, severity, coercion and restriction of autonomy faces the opposition of the adolescent, which is conditioned on the one hand by age laws of development, and on the other hand, inconsistency of rules and prohibitions, in particular in the context of smoking. As a result, there is a decline in parenting authority and ability to influence a teenager, disagreement in views and life situations, emotional distraction and dissatisfaction in relationships. Decrease of satisfaction ratios means violations in the structure of parent- child relationships, possible conflicts and concerns about family situations.

The results of investigating the “neutral impact on family functions” profile show lower indicators of severity, control and consent, average indicators of emotional bonds, cooperation, consistency, authority, acceptance and satisfaction with relationships. Interaction in such families is characterized by excessive amenity of parents, decrease of rules and prohibitions, which can be both a manifestation of trust and a desire to raise an adolescent's independence, and permissiveness. At the same time, the nature of the interaction reflects the increased frequency and degree of disagreement in different life situations. Indicators of cooperation, consistency, and credibility indicate a sufficient level of recognition of rights and dignity, equality and consistency in the relationship between parents and adolescents, which increases emotional bonds, parents' authority, acceptance, and satisfaction with relationships. Consequently, the nature of the interaction of these respondents has features of a liberal style.

The analysis of the characteristics of the parent-child interaction of the “violation of household, educational and primary control functions” profile involves decreased indicators of consent, cooperation, consistency, authority and average indicators of exactingness, severity, control of emotional bonds, acceptance, and satisfaction in relations. The nature of interaction in such families has features of inconsistency. It stipulates severity, the demands of parents and the expectation of a high level of responsibility from the adolescent on the one hand, accompanied by controlling behavior and restrictions on autonomy, rights and coercion, on the other hand. It is also characterized by the reduction of the authority of parents and cooperation between parents and adolescents. The positive aspect of relationships in such families is the acceptance and average level of emotional bonds, which causes sufficient satisfaction with relationships.

The “promotion of family functions realization” profile is characterized by lower indicators of exactingness, severity, control, average indicators of emotional bonds, acceptance, cooperation, agreement, consistency, credibility and high level of satisfaction with relationships. These families have not enough rules, requirements and prohibitions, parents show excessive gentleness, not enough control, they seek partnership, emotional bonds, mutual self-disclosure. Hence, relations in such families are more likely to be friendly. Against the background of positive emotional relationships, due to acceptance, emotional

The statistical analysis of data (Table 1) shows that the indicators of the studied profiles are significantly different according to all scales except for acceptance (H = 1.841602, p>0.05). According to the exactingness scale, it has been found that, firstly, it decreases with the reduction of awareness of the adverse effects of smoking on family functioning.

Severity as the characteristics of the relationships between parents and children, as well as exactingness, increases with violations of the family functions, including household, educational and primary control ones.

According to the control scale, it has been found that the more negative impact of smoking on family functions is recognized, the more pronounced the control parents' behavior is.

The results according to the scale of emotional bonds show the gradual increase in the emotional distance in the relationships between parents and children in the context of increasing awareness of the negative effect of smoking on the family and the presence of tobacco addiction, which is often accompanied by concealment of smoking or double standards in interaction. At the same time, the bonds, consistency in requirements, attitude towards the adolescent, applying the expected rewards, the parents' authority and influence on the teenager grow. On the one hand, it is a positive aspect, because it increases satisfaction with relationships, and on the other hand, it can activate patterns of tobacco addictive behavior in the mechanism of assimilation of socio-psychological attitudes and fixation of patterns of interaction.

Table 1

Indices of Interaction between Parents and Their Children Depending on the Type of Impact of Smoking on Family Functioning