Parenting, Peer Pressure and Residential Context: A Socio-Environmental Study of Adolescent Tobacco Use in India

Abstract

This study explores the influence of residential setting based on spatial context (urban, suburban, rural), reflecting environmental and socio-cultural variation on peer pressure, parenting dynamics, and adolescent smoking behavior in India. This study employed a cross-sectional and comparative design. Drawing on data from across rural, suburban, and urban regions, the study investigates how geographic and social contexts shape tobacco use patterns. A sample of 760 tobacco-using adolescents (rural = 426, suburban = 114, urban = 220) completed validated measures on parent-adolescent connectedness, hostility, and peer pressure. A chi-square test revealed a strong association between peer influence and smoking frequency, with daily smokers overwhelmingly reporting peer-driven initiation. One-way ANOVA (Welch’s correction) indicated that urban adolescents reported higher parent-adolescent connectedness, while suburban adolescents showed greater hostility. Rural adolescents experienced significantly higher peer pressure, suggesting that both densely populated and tightly knit environments foster conformity-based behaviors. The findings emphasize the need for geographically tailored interventions that integrate behavioral, social, and environmental factors to reduce adolescent tobacco use. By incorporating constructs such as built environment and ecological setting, this study highlights how spatial context intersects with family and peer dynamics in shaping health-risk behaviors. These insights can inform school-based, family-centered, and community-level tobacco prevention strategies grounded in both psychological and environmental sciences.