Relationship between Self-Esteem and Smoking Behavior among Japanese Early Adolescents: Initial Results from a Three-Year Study.

Examined the relationship between self-esteem and smoking behavior among Japanese elementary and junior high school students. Surveys of students indicated that those who had never smoked had higher cognitive, family, and global self-esteem but lower physical self-esteem than did smokers. Grade and gender were significantly related to self-esteem, with lower self-esteem found among girls and older students. (SM)