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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 9, No. 8
Publication Date: August 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/assrj.98.12971. Park, M. (2022). Stress Perception, Smoking and Drinking Behaviors among Adolescents. Advances in Social Sciences Research
Journal, 9(8). 425-428.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Stress Perception, Smoking and Drinking Behaviors among
Adolescents
Min-Hee Park
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to examine the relationship between stress perception and
smoking and drinking behaviors among adolescents in one region of South Korea.
Data were collected online from elementary, middle, and high school students. This
study found that smokers had higher stress perception scores than nonsmokers (t=-
8.100, p<0.001), and drinkers had higher stress perception scores than
nonsmokers (t=8.380, p<0.001). The major factors for stress were grade or career,
appearance, and conflict with parents, friends, seniors, and juniors. It is necessary
to identify the differences in stress caused by smoking and drinking among
adolescents in a community and understand the causes of stress so that they can
manage their stress on their own.
Keywords: adolescent, stress, perception, smoking, drinking
INTRODUCTION
In addition to physical changes, adolescents are often exposed to stressful situations because
of their academic achievements, career paths, friendships, and conflicts with parents. South
Korea conducts education focusing on entrance exams, which reveal that few opportunities for
developing coping skills in stressful situations and negative adaptation exposes adolescents to
smoking and drinking [1].
Stress-initiated smoking and drinking do not provide opportunities for the development of
positive stress-coping patterns, leading to repeated smoking and drinking, and increase the risk
of physical and mental illness through smoking and alcohol dependence in adulthood.
Accordingly, education is required to develop positive coping styles by identifying differences
in stress perception between students who smoke and drink and those who do not and by
identifying stressors.
This study aims to provide basic data for establishing youth health promotion policies in a local
city. The specific research objectives were as follows:
1. To investigate stress perception and smoking and drinking behaviors of the participants
2. To identify the stress factors of the participants
METHODS
Study Design
This descriptive study aimed to understand stress perception and smoking and drinking
behaviors among adolescents in one region of South Korea.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 9, Issue 8, August-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Participants and Data
This study used data from the 2020 Drinking Survey Study conducted on adolescents in City A.
A total of 26,844 students from 12 elementary, 171 middle, and 144 general high schools
participated in an alcohol consumption survey in City A. Data collection was conducted using a
self-reported online survey, and only students who voluntarily participated were surveyed.
Study Instruments
Stress perception was evaluated on a 5-point scale (1 to 5), with a higher score indicating a
higher level of stress.
RESULT
Stress Perception and Smoking and Drinking Behaviors
This study found that smokers had higher stress perception scores than nonsmokers (t=-8.100,
p<0.001), and drinkers had higher stress perception scores than nonsmokers (t=8.380,
p<0.001) (Table 1).
Table 1. Stress perception and smoking and drinking behaviors
(N=26,844)
Variables N(%)
Stress perception
Mean(SD) t p
Smoking
No smoking 26,062 (97.1) 3.01 (1.006)
- 8.100 0.001
Smoking 782 (2.9) 3.30 (1.121)
Drinking
No drinking 25,438 (94.8) 3.00 (1.005)
- 8.380 0.001
Drinking 1,406 (5.2) 3.23 (1.082)
Stress Factor
The major stress factors for nonsmokers were grades/career and appearance in that order and
those for current smokers were grades/career and conflict with parents in that order.
The major stress factors for nondrinkers were grades/career and appearance in that order, and
those for current drinkers were grades/career and conflict with friends in that order (Table 2).
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427
Park, M. (2022). Stress Perception, Smoking and Drinking Behaviors among Adolescents. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(8). 425-
428.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.98.12971
Table 2. Stress factors and smoking and drinking behaviors
Variables Smoking n(%) Drinking n(%)
No smoking Currently smokingNo drinking Currently drinking
No stress 2,133 (8.2) 59 (7.5) 2,101 (8.3) 91 (6.5)
Conflict with parents 1,974 (7.6) 99 (12.7) 1,955 (7.7) 118 (8.4)
Socioeconomic status 590 (2.3) 52 (6.6) 570 (2.2) 72 (5.1)
Conflict with teacher 154 (0.6) 29 (3.7) 151 (0.6) 32 (2.3)
Conflict with friends 1,188 (4.6) 66 (8.4) 1,132 (4.5) 122 (8.7)
Academic achievement
and college entrance 12,809 (49.1) 224 (28.6) 12,467 (49.0) 566 (40.3)
Health problem 441 (1.7) 8 (1.0) 424 (1.7) 25 (1.8)
Appearance and body
image 1,997 (7.7) 64 (8.2) 1,956 (7.7) 105 (7.5)
Others 4,776 (18.3) 181 (23.1) 4,682 (18.4) 275 (19.6)
Total 26,062 (100.0) 782 (100.0) 25,438 (100.0) 1,406 (100.0)
DISCUSSION
In this study, smokers and drinkers had higher perceived stress scores, and the major factors
for stress were academic achievement/college entrance, appearance and body image, and
conflicts with parents and friends. These results are similar to the findings that higher levels of
stress among adolescents are significantly associated with increased use of alcohol, tobacco,
and other drugs [2, 3]. It is also similar to the finding that the onset of tobacco and alcohol abuse
and dependence among adolescents is at least due to tensions at the individual, family, and
environmental levels [4]. Neurobiological models may explain the process by which adolescent
stressors interfere with reward circuit function, thereby increasing the risk of problematic
alcohol use [5]. Moreover, smoking weakens hormonal responses to stress and prolongs
subjective discomfort, which can be explained by a neurobiological model that can lead to a
disruption in the body’s ability to cope with stress effectively [6].
Adolescents have been found to have higher rates of smoking and drinking because of personal,
family-, and school-related stressors. Active education is necessary to develop coping styles for
stress and coping measures.
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