Before Reading
The main aim of the research “Association Among Smoking, Depression, and Anxiety: Findings From a Representative Sample of Korean Adolescents” by Haewon Byeon was to examine the connections and impact of smoking on mental health issues among Korean adolescents. Primarily, the authors studied the relationship between smoking and mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. The article’s authors choose to research Korean adolescents as smoking rates in Korea are among the highest.
The researchers aimed to make causal statements about relationships between smoking and mental health disorders. In addition, the gathered data may be used for the whole Korean population, as they are based on the nationwide survey, which represents Korean adolescents. Lastly, the author did not try to predict or guess results; their assumptions are based on evidence and statistics.
During Reading
The authors’ research question is, “What impact does smoking have on depression and anxiety rates among adolescents, and which factors it includes?” In addition, the following research questions have arisen while reading this article. Firstly, how does smoking affect the studying process and future of adolescents? Secondly, what kind of depression might be caused by smoking?
Thirdly, does smoking cause other mental health issues, and which one? Next, can the survey results be used for the whole nation, or do they differ in other countries? Lastly, are there other characteristics or factors leading to depression and anxiety, except smoking?
After Reading
The survey was conducted among adolescents between 13 and 18 years old who were middle or high school students. Generally, the students consisted of 3,352 male and 3,137 female participants to examine the impact of smoking, including age and gender differences. The sample of participants in this survey accurately generalized statistics to other groups of people based on gender and region. All participants were from local communities in South Korea, representing the statistics and the division into male and female participants, almost equal to show the results based on gender.
In addition, it was researched that the earlier the person starts to smoke, the worse consequences on mental health it has, so the sample of participants might be generalized based on age. However, it is impossible to generalize the results based on race and socioeconomic status. Significant differences were in socioeconomic and health status, city of residence, satisfaction with school life, and relationship with parents. Nevertheless, the lower the rates in the mentioned sphere, an adolescent had the higher risk of starting smoking and having depression or anxiety the person had.
Reflection
- How much do I know about the topic before reading it?
- What do I know about the author’s goals in the article?
- Did I understand the research question?
- Did I find the hypothesis?
- What kind of information needs to be included?
- What do I know about the survey sample?
- What kind of factors were included in the process of surveying?
- Can the gathered data be generalized for other countries?
- What impact does this study have on future works on this topic?
A wide range of questions were discussed to analyze the text better before, during, and after reading. During reading, it was essential to find the author’s research questions and come up with the questions of my interest to fulfill the missing information. Lastly, each part of the process included critical thinking, analyzing information by asking different questions, and finding answers.