"Because adverse childhood experiences are common and strongly associated with smoking initiation, preventing their occurrence and early identification and treatment of children exposed to them may reduce smoking initiation among adolescents," wrote the study authors.

The researchers used data from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study to determine whether these experiences lead to smoking. They looked at eight categories of experiences—emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; having a battered mother, parental separation or divorce; growing up with a substance-abusing, mentally ill, or incarcerated household member—and how they related to five categories of smoking—early smoking initiation, smoking initiation as an adult, ever smoking, current smoking, and heavy smoking.

A total of 9,215 adults (4,958 women and 4,257 men) responded to a survey sent to them one week after they had visited a primary care clinic in San Diego, Calf. The median age for the respondents was 53 for women and 58 for men.

Sixty-three percent of the respondents reported experiencing at least one of the adverse experiences. "If a respondent was exposed to one of the adverse childhood experiences, the probability of exposure to any other category of adverse childhood experiences was increased substantially," the researchers wrote. Those who reported five or more of the experiences had much higher rates of early smoking initiation than those who did not have any experiences, 5.5 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

"If we can make home environments better, children will be less likely to smoke and do other drugs. The condition of the home environment relates to smoking and drugs," said Ron Todd, Tobacco Control Director for the American Cancer Society. "This [study] is consistent with other studies done on substance abuse."

He added that attitudes about smoking are formed early in childhood. "This speaks to the need for comprehensive school health education that goes from kindergarten through high school," Todd added. "It also speaks to the need for social and environmental change that limits smoking in public places, increases the price of cigarettes, and formulates better youth smoking cessation programs."