The relationship between smoking and convivial, intimate and negative coping alcohol consumption in young adults

Abstract

Aims and objectives: To explore the gender-specific associations of smoking with convivial, negative coping and intimate drinking contexts in young adults.

Background: Alcohol and cigarettes co-use is common and to be more effective in prevention activities, we need to understand the drinking contexts that facilitate their co-occurrence.

Design: Descriptive cross-sectional survey in the context of the LATO study (Lifestyle & Attitudes in a Student Population) in Greece.

Methods: Of the 1,138 students who provided full data during November-December 2012, those who have smoked ≥1 cigarette/last month were defined as smokers. Based on the "Drinking Context Scale-9", we created low, moderate and high probabilities of drinking in each context and in total. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results: Participants reported higher probabilities to drink, in descending order, in the convivial (31.5%), negative coping (10.4%) and intimate (5.4%) contexts. Adjusted odds ratios for smoking were significantly higher for individuals who reported a moderate (OR = 2.15, 95% CI 1.51-3.05) to high (OR = 3.64, 95% CI 2.59-5.11) probability of drinking in any context. Moreover, female participants with high probabilities for drinking in convivial and negative coping contexts had higher odds ratios of engaging in smoking (convivial OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.23-2.85; coping OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.39-5.10) whereas this association was noticed only for convivial settings in male participants (OR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.91-4.319). For women only, drinking in intimate contexts was protective against smoking (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.10-0.98).

Conclusions: Smoking is differentially related to drinking context based on gender. Prevention interventions targeting smoking and alcohol co-use in late adolescence may be more effective if employing a context and gender-specific approach.

Relevance to clinical practice: Nurses have a critical role in providing motivational interviewing in individuals and organise and execute health-promoting activities in larger groups for modifying their health risk behaviours. The social context should be carefully considered during assessments and prevention interventions.

Keywords: Greece; adolescents; alcohol; cigarette; co-use; coping; drinking context; health risk behaviours; nursing; smoking.