Psychosocial Obstacles to Smoking Cessation Attempts Among Young Adult Sexual Minority Women Who Smoke. Issue 2 (3rd April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bauermeister, José A.; Youatt, Emily J.; Pingel, Emily S.; Soler, Jorge H.; Johns, Michelle M.
• Is Part Of: Behavioral medicine. Volume 44:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 123
• Page End: 130
• Publication Date: 2018-04-03
• Subjects: bisexual -- lesbian -- quit -- tobacco -- young adulthood; Medicine and psychology -- Periodicals; Medicine, Psychosomatic -- Periodicals; Stress (Physiology) -- Periodicals; Stress (Psychology) -- Periodicals; 616.98
• DOI: 10.1080/08964289.2017.1282853
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0896-4289

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Sexual minority women (SMW; i.e., women who identify their sexuality as lesbian, bisexual, or something other than heterosexual) report greater smoking behaviors than their heterosexual counterparts across all ages. We conducted a multivariable regression to examine the correlates of prior smoking cessation attempts and smoking cessation intentions in a sample of young SMW who smoke ( N = 338; aged 18–24 years). Covariates included sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., race/ethnicity, sexual identity, age, urbanity), general (i.e., perceived stress), and sexuality-specific (i.e., internalized homophobia) stressors, as well as smoking attitudes and subjective norms. Bisexual women (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.31) were more likely than lesbian counterparts to report a prior smoking cessation attempt. Prior cessation attempts were associated with less internalized homophobia (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.69) and positive attitudes toward smoking (OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.27, 3.70). Smoking cessation intentions in the next month were negatively associated with being a daily smoker (β = –0.14) and attitudes toward smoking (β = –0.19). Based on these findings, we underscore the need to address the risk correlates associated with SMW's quit attempts and include these in cessation interventions.