Stress, self-esteem, and parenting styles in adolescent students with smoking behavior in Banda Aceh

There is an increasing number of young smokers in Indonesia that has become a serious concern in recent years. Therefore, this study aimed to examine Indonesian adolescents' smoking based on related variables i.e. stress, self-esteem, and parenting styles. Survey method with purposive random sampling was used in this study with a set inclusion criteria includingmale gender and age of 15 to 18 years old. A total of 106 students (54 smokers and 52 non smokers) from four senior high schools in Banda Aceh, Indonesia participated. The measures used were the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ). This study found that there were differences in stress and self-esteem level as well as certain parenting practices between smoking and non-smoking adolescents. This study did not find a relationship between stress and self-esteem in smoking adolescents, but stress and self-esteem correlated differentially with certain parenting practices. Implications and suggestions were also discussed in the light of these findings.