Tob Induc Dis. 2026 May 28;24. doi: 10.18332/tid/219364. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have established a link between marital relationship quality and smoking cessation behavior, but the mediating role of nicotine dependence has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between marital satisfaction and willingness to quit smoking, and to test the mediating role of nicotine dependence in this association.
METHODS: This study was conducted among students in grades 1 to 5 at 17 pilot elementary schools in Qingdao, China. It is a cross-sectional analysis study that collected data in July 2022. The sample consisted of families in which the father smoked and the mother did not. Researchers underwent standardized training before data collection. Parents were screened, and both spouses completed corresponding questionnaires, ultimately yielding 950 valid matched questionnaires. Structural equation modeling using AMOS was employed to test the mediating effect of nicotine dependence.
RESULTS: Path analysis revealed that marital satisfaction was negatively associated with nicotine dependence (β= -0.091; 95% CI: -0.172 – -0.014). Willingness to quit smoking was positively related to marital satisfaction (β=0.063; 95% CI: 0.001-0.129) and negatively associated with nicotine dependence (β= -0.394; 95% CI: -0.469 – -0.314). Moreover, the indirect effect of willingness to quit smoking on marital satisfaction via nicotine dependence was positive and statistically significant (β=0.036; 95% CI: 0.006-0.072). Bootstrap mediation tests revealed statistically significant direct and mediating effects, with the mediating effect accounting for 36.36% of the variance.
CONCLUSIONS: The results supported that nicotine dependence had a mediating effect between marital satisfaction and willingness to quit smoking.
PMID:42221057 | PMC:PMC13218405 | DOI:10.18332/tid/219364
