Struggling to understand: The experience of nonsmoking parents with adolescents who smoke

Smoking among adolescents is a major public health concern. Most parents would not want their children engaged in this risk-taking behavior. Although a majority of parents of smokers are themselves smokers, many are nonsmokers. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand what nonsmoking parents experience due to their adolescent children's smoking behavior. The purposive sample consisted of 25 parents. The interview data generated the theory that nonsmoking parents struggle to understand their adolescents' smoking. They experienced four stages: discovering the smoking,facing the problem, reflecting, and waiting it out. Their experience can be examined from a stress paradigm. Programs are needed that provide parents with the knowledge and skills required for effective prevention and intervention strategies.