Self-Regulation Effects on Smoking Addiction: A Bayesian Approach*

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the impacts of self-regulation on smoking addiction. Self-regulation is the capacity to overcome ineffective behavior to achieve goals. Previous research studies found that self-regulation is an effective mental defense against deviant behaviors such as smoking. This study hypothesized that self-regulation correlates negatively with smoking addiction. The subjects in this study were 155 students aged 13-18 years (M = 13.37, SD = 1.07) from three high schools in Sleman district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The data were analysed with Bayesian regression and simple linear regression as a comparison. The Bayesian regression showed that 95% posterior distribution HDI falls outside ROPE (-0.5-0). The results indicated that self-regulation has significant effects on reducing smoking addiction. Additionally, the simple linear regression also showed similar results (F (1.153) = 82.12, p < 0.01). The generalizability of the results is only limited to the sample being used in this study.