The Effects of Cultural and Environmental Factors on Adolescents' Health-Endangering Behaviors.

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The current study was designed to investigate the role of cultural and environmental factors on adolescents' health-endangering behaviors. A cross-national study was conducted to explore psychosocial factors responsible for smoking behaviors. The study participants were 844 American high school students (9^<th> to 12^<th> graders) and 734 Japanese students (9^<th> to 12^<th> graders).The survey results demonstrated that the proportion of lifetime smokers was higher in Japanese compared to Americans (32% and 23%, respectively). The proportion of parents who smoke were higher among Japanese. Scores on self-related variables such as self-enhancement and self-concepts were higher among American students, which support previous studies. Correlations between self-esteem and risk perception were not observed. Concerning health beliefs on smoking, Americans were more likely to have negative beliefs. When comparing smokers to non-smokers of the American sample, it was found that smokers perceive more benefits than risks for health-endangering behaviors.