According to a recent study, adolescents with severe depressive symptoms may have tried e-cigarettes more than twice as frequently as adolescents without such symptoms.
According to a study that was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, teenagers with worse mental health may use e-cigarettes more frequently overall.
E-cigarettes, also called e-cigs or vapes, are tobacco-free but contain a highly addictive chemical, nicotine. When consumed during adolescence, nicotine can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control. Additionally, future cigarette smokers are more likely to be young people who vape.
A survey conducted as part of the OurFutures Vaping Trial—a clinical trial of an Australian school-based e-cigarette prevention program—collected data from over 5,000 Year 7 and 8 students from 40 Australian schools.
Of 5,157 adolescents surveyed, 8.3% reported having used e-cigarettes before.
Teenagers with moderate to high levels of stress reported using e-cigarettes at rates of 74% and 64% higher, respectively. Yet, using e-cigarettes was not linked to anxiety symptoms.
Moreover, e-cigarette use was 105% higher for students who reported low well-being compared to high well-being.
“Although more research is necessary to fully understand the complex relationship between mental health and vaping, these findings underscore the urgent need for evidence-based prevention and early intervention approaches to support young people’s short- and long-term health and wellbeing,” says Dr. Lauren Gardner, a co-leader of the OurFutures Vaping Trial and the Matilda Centre at the University of Sydney.
Researchers say the findings are consistent with research in the United States that has linked adolescent e-cigarette use with depressive and anxiety symptoms and stress.
Teens who use vapes as a coping method may do so because nicotine can lessen feelings of tension and anxiety. Risk factors from the social, environmental, and genetic spheres can also account for the connection between vaping and worse mental health.
Emily Stockings, an associate professor at the Matilda Centre and co-author of the study, says, “It is clear that if we are to prevent vaping onset, we need to address mental health at the same time.” She questions whether mental illness causes smoking or vice versa.
About 2.13 million American middle and high school students reported current use of e-cigarettes, according to a 2023 survey. While the full range of risks posed by vaping is yet to be understood, it is crucial to take preventative measures against the use of e-cigarettes in young adults.