Does Avoidant Coping Influence Young Adults' Smoking?: A Ten-Year Longitudinal Study

Introduction: Young adults who avoid their emotions may be at risk for starting smoking or not quitting smoking. This study investigated whether a preliminary measure of avoidant coping longitudinally predicts young adults' smoking escalation and cessation. Methods: In a sample of the 3,305 participants, originally from Washington State, a preliminary measure of self-reported avoidant coping at age 18 was used to predict both smoking escalation and cessation at ages 20 and 28 with both probability and logistic regression models (10-year retention: 98.5%). Results: Individuals who scored high on avoidant coping at 18 were 2.52 (p = .001) times more likely to acquire smoking by 20. However, there was no evidence that avoidant coping at age 18 predicted smoking escalation at 28 or cessation for 20- and 28-year-olds. Conclusions: An avoidant coping style may have a short-term effect on young adults' smoking acquisition. Future research using a precise and well-validated measure of avoidant coping is now needed to test this possibility.