Cigarette Use by Turkish Adolescents and Its Links to Strain, Depression, and Anger

Abstract

In this study of Turkish adolescents and cigarette smoking, we applied general strain theory, conceptualizing smoking as a coping strategy for various types of strain and negative emotions associated with strain. Our secondary data were collected via a survey prepared (in English, by the Icelandic Center for Social Research and Analysis, later translated into Turkish) for the Youth in Europe Project fighting drug use by urban European students. The present data came from students in the populous Bagcilar district of Istanbul, Turkey, where in 2008, 10th-grade students completed the questionnaire. Our final sample included 1,949 students. Logistic regression showed cigarette smoking (both lifetime and 30-day) to be associated with strain arising from school, from negative life events, and from violent victimization. Smoking also appeared linked to negative affect, specifically anger and depression. Gender was observed to moderate a link between lifetime cigarette smoking and anger.