Will you quit smoking for me? The role of spouses in the smoking behaviour and intention to quit of Indonesian male smokers

Would you quit smoking if your spouse asked you to? A non-smoking spouse of a smoker tends to try to make their spouse quit smoking. These attempts are called social control, and we were interested in how such interactions happen in Indonesia, the country with the highest rate of male smokers in the world. We found that smokers are open to adapting their smoking habits, such as following their spouses’ rules about smoking in the households, especially if they have children. However, the spouses’ role ends there, as heavier demands like quitting smoking risk inciting conflicts or being ignored by the smokers. We also found that children and friends are better social control agents. Unlike spouses, children and friends also have more leeway in their type of social control tactics.
Furthermore, smoker identity, or the perception of how vital smoking is to the smokers’ sense of self, has a significant role in their intention to quit and how they react to social control. Smokers who could see themselves as non-smokers, exhibit a higher intention to quit smoking. Smokers who do not consider smoking as a vital part of themselves respond better to their spouses’ negative social control, i.e. they show a higher intention to quit smoking. This thesis shows that all in all, spouses have a limited influence in Indonesian smokers. Focusing on identities of Indonesian smokers, and to a lesser degree, their relationships, might be a promising way to improve health promotion and smoking prevention efforts in Indonesia.