Social-psychological contexts of hookah consumption in adolescent girls

Using hookah as one of the common forms of smoking is an old method, but now it has been widely welcomed by teenagers , In the meantime the prevalence of hookah consumption among teenage girls is of particular importance to the extent that it can provide the basis for the emergence of risky behaviors, considering the importance of the subject the present study has investigated the socio-psychological foundations of hookah consumption among adolescent girls by qualitative methods and using ethnography. For this purpose after completing the exploratory study, the ethnographic researcher has followed the objectives of the research by being present in the research field, complete field observations and conducting in-depth and formal interviews. The statistical population consisted of adolescent girls aged 12 to 18 living in Shiraz who use hookah in hangouts and public places of the city, of which 16 people were investigated as a study sample. Finally, after data collection and analysis, four key categories were extracted. The key categories related to the use of hookah by teenage girls include friendship and compatibility with the opposite sex, getting rid of problems, dealing with common restrictions and stereotypes, identifying and proving oneself, and spending free time. In general, it can be concluded that socio-psychological contexts and especially the "authenticity of friendship" with the opposite sex as a central concept in the formation and continuation of hookah use in adolescent girls, play a key role and the attention of researchers And policymakers absolutely need this concept.