Kids Smoke After Divorce

When a marriage ends in divorce, parents worry about the effect it will have on their children.  And they are right to do so. There is a definite psychological and emotional impact to having your parents split up while you are still a child living at home.  And now it appears that yet one more negative impact of divorced parents has been identified–one that can take years off the child’s life.  According to new research, kids whose parents divorced while they were under the age of 18 have a much greater risk of smoking as they get older.

The study, which took place at the University of Toronto in Canada, found that both men and women who had experienced the divorce of their parents during childhood where considerably more likely to become smokers than their counterparts who came from intact homes.¹ “Children of Divorced Parents More Likely to Start Smoking, Study Finds.” Science Daily. 14 March 2013. Accessed 18 March 2013. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130314110251.htm   The results were slightly worse among men, who face a 48 percent higher risk of smoking at least 100 cigarettes at some point in their lives than other men who did not have divoced parents. Women whose parents divorced when they were children were only marginally better, at a 39 percent higher risk of smoking as opposed to women whose parents stayed married.

The results were based on a large population sample of adults in the United States.  The subjects were 7,850 men and 11,506 women who participated in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey in 2010.² “Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 24 January 2013. Accessed 19 March 2013. http://www.cdc.gov/brfss   Of this group, 1,551 men and 2,382 women were younger than 18 at the point when their parents divorced.  And, of the entire group of participants, 4,316 men and 5,072 women admitted to having smoked a minimum of 100 cigarettes.

The researchers took a number of other factors into account when determining the influences that may have led to the initiation of smoking.  They considered the lack of a higher level of education, lower income as adults, depression, anxiety, and traumas suffered during their childhoods, such as abuse or a parent with an addiction.  Even after controlling for these additional dynamics that might precipitate smoking, there was still a very clear and significant link between the parents’ divorce during childhood and becoming a smoker.

Now obviously, no one should stay in an unhappy or abusive marriage for the sake of their children, even if divorcing could increase the kids’ likelihood of eventually smoking.  But if you are divorced–or are getting divorced–and have children, it is essential to do what you can to keep them mentally well adjusted to the changes that have taken place in their lives.  A great way to head in the right direction is to focus on good health habits.  Teaching them about making nutritious choices can be fun if it’s done together.  Pick flavors they like and make fruit smoothies rather than going out for ice cream.  Even just sitting down to dinner as a family to talk instead of watching television while eating was found in a 2011 study at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign to have beneficial effects on a child’s health.³ Hammons, Amber J. and Fiese, Barbara H. “Is Frequency of Shared Family Meals Related to the Nutritional Health of Children and Adolescents?” Pediatrics. 2 May 2011. Accessed 19 March 2013. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/6/e1565.full.pdf+html   Spend time exercising together doing something they enjoy, whether it’s going to the gym with a teen or bike riding with a 10-year-old or even playing Just Dance together on the X-box.  The more healthy habits children pick up at a young age, the more likely they are to stick with them and the less likely they are to develop unhealthy habits such as smoking when they get older.

If you are on the flip side of that coin, as the adult who experienced your parents’ divorce when you were a child, it’s time to consider giving up any risky behaviors you may have developed, including smoking.  With a long-established association to a multitude of diseases, such as cancer, emphysema, and cardiovascular illnesses, smoking is among the worst habits you can maintain.⁴ “Smoking: Do you really known the risks?” American Heart Association. 28 June 2011. Accessed 19 March 2013. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/QuitSmoking/QuittingSmoking/Smoking-Do-you-really-know-the-risks_UCM_322718_Article.jsp   And it’s not just harming you, but everyone you come in contact with. Heck, even the third hand residue your smoking leaves behind on clothes and furniture is deadly. While it may not be so easy to just give up that daily dose of nicotine, especially if you have been smoking for years, it is one of the most important things you can do for your body.  If you need a little help, consider some alternative therapies that might benefit you more than a nicotine patch.  For instance, a 2012 study at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, found that acupuncture and hypnosis both helped smokers quit and stay cigarette-free successfully.⁵ Norton, Amy. “Acupuncture, Hypnosis May Help People Quit Smoking: Study.” Huffington Post. 6 May 2012. Accessed 19 March 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/acupuncture-quit-smoking-hypnosis_n_1497348.html   Even natural ingredients such as L-theanine and ashwagandha have proven to be helpful. Try several different approaches if necessary; just don’t give up on quitting.