Perceptions of social support provided to smokers

Introduction: Cessation efforts and maintained abstinence in smokers have been associated with social support from others (i.e., 'support persons'). Characteristics of support persons appear to affect the amount and quality of support provided to adults who smoke. In the present investigation, the relationship between support person characteristics and perceived quality and quantity of smoking-specific support provided was examined. Method: College students (N = 244) were asked to identify an adult who smokes about whom they were concerned. Participants reported demographic and smoking-related information about themselves and their identified smoker and perceptions of positive and negative smoking-specific social support provided. Results: Results indicated significant differences in smoking status (p < .05), such that current and ex-smokers reported providing more negative support than never smokers. Additionally, participants romantically involved with their smokers reported providing more positive (p < .05) support than those in other relationships. Discussion: Findings suggest the importance of relationship in the perception of support provided during the cessation process and highlight the need for future research in this area.