Differences in risk-taking propensity across inner-city adolescent ever- and never-smokers

Because adolescent smoking is a significant public health concern, potential value lies in understanding and identifying the psychological factors that distinguish ever- and never-smokers. To that end, we examined the relationship between risk-taking propensity as measured by the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and ever-smoking (i.e., even one puff) versus never-smoking in a sample of 125 predominantly African American high-school adolescents (M=15.1, SD=1.5). Results indicated that ever-smokers and never-smokers differed on risk-taking propensity; further risk-taking propensity was related to smoking status above and beyond both demographic variables and a measure of self-reported impulsive sensation seeking. We discuss these results in relation to the potential utility of a multimethod assessment approach (i.e., self-report measures and behavioral tasks) to identify adolescents' risk-taking susceptibilities and engagement in smoking and other risk-taking behaviors.