Unexpectedly, adolescents having parents who disapproved of smoking were more likely to move from the susceptible pre-contemplation stage to the initiation/tried stage than those with parents who approved of smoking. One possible explanation for this finding may be the presence of certain parental characteristics, such as the general parenting style, the types of messages conveyed to children and parent-child communication. However, no previous studies, that link parental approval of smoking with advancement from the susceptible pre-contemplation stage to the initiation/tried stage, could be located. Further studies are needed to confirm this association.