Blalock's Theory Of Smoking While Pregnant

Smoking while pregnant is a health concern for both the mother and the baby. Reasons for smoking vary, and several studies have been conducted to determine whether childhood trauma might be a reason for smoking. A study conducted by Blalock et al. (2011) attempts to discover whether childhood trauma influences why mothers-to-be choose to smoke even while pregnant. In their article on the study titled “The Relationship of Childhood Trauma to Nicotine Dependence in Pregnant Smokers”, the authors alluded to a specific theory throughout the article as they attempted to prove their hypothesis with a select sample of women. Their study found results that did and did not support their hypothesis.
Article Critique
Theory
In this study, Blalock et al.

(2011) used a partially random sample, in that it was not limited according to ethnicity or location. It was simply advertised over “radio, television, and other forms of advertising” (Blalock et al., 2011, p. 653). However, there were some requirements that applicants had to meet to be eligible. They had to be sixteen years of age or older and 32 or more weeks pregnant (Blalock et al., 2011, p. 653). The women were also required to “have smoked at least a puff or more during the past 7 days, have a telephone, and express a willingness to quit smoking during the study” (Blalock et al., 2011, p. 653). The sample was partially chosen at random based on who applied, but there were requirements that women had to meet to

The results showed that there was a correlation between high levels of childhood trauma and the likelihood of smoking within five minutes of waking (Blalock et al., 2011, p. 658). In addition, the women who experienced more than one category of childhood trauma had an increased nicotine dependence risk (Blalock et al., 2011, p. 659). One area in which the hypothesis was not supported was the idea that depression and depression symptoms are a mediator between childhood trauma and nicotine dependence. Blalock et al. (2011) state the