The association between problematic alcohol use, risk perceptions, and e-cigarette use.

Background: Use of e-cigarettes among college students has escalated, in part due to the perception that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes and have other benefits such as circumventing smoking bans. College students also drink more heavily than other age groups, and e-cigarettes are associated with alcohol, especially among students who engage in problematic drinking.Objective: The present study sought to determine if an interaction between problematic alcohol use and increased perceptions of benefits and decreased perceptions of risks of e-cigarettes would predict whether participants had ever used an e-cigarette.Method: The present study included 1,133 undergraduate college students surveyed between November 2014 - November 2016. Participants were primarily Caucasian (82.3%) and female (78.1%). Participants completed questionnaires regarding demographics, smoking status/history, and expectancies.Results: Higher levels of problematic drinking and higher perceived benefits of e-cigarette use were both associated with having tried e-cigarettes. This relationship was significant even when controlling for several covariates such as cigarettes smoking status. However, there was not a significant interaction between problematic alcohol use and perceived benefits or risks of e-cigarettes. There was also no relationship between risk perceptions of e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes use.Conclusions: Both problematic alcohol use and perception of benefits of e-cigarettes were associated with having tried an e-cigarette. This finding is problematic as the use of e-cigarettes may influence further engagement in risky behaviors including problematic drinking or transitioning to regular cigarette use. Thus, it is important to develop interventions to help college students develop more accurate risk perceptions about e-cigarettes.

The association between hormonal contraceptive use and smoking, negative affect, and cessation attempts in college females.

Exogenous and endogenous female hormones influence nicotine use and cessation, potentially through mechanisms such as anxiety and negative affect. In the present study, college females using all types of hormonal contraceptives (HC) were compared to those not using HC to determine the potential influence on current smoking, negative affect, and current and past cessation attempts. Differences between progestin-only and combination HC were also examined. Of the 1,431 participants, 53.2% (n = 761) reported current HC use, and 12.3% (n = 176) of participants endorsed current smoking. Women currently using HC were significantly more likely to smoke (13.5%; n = 103) compared to women not using HC (10.9%; n = 73), p = .04. There was a significant main effect of HC use being associated with lower anxiety levels (p = .005), as well as a significant HC use by smoking status interaction, such that women who smoke using HC reported the lowest levels of anxiety among participants (p = .01). Participants using HC were more likely to be making a current attempt to quit smoking than those not using HC (p = .04) and were more likely to have made past quit attempts (p = .04). No significant differences were observed across women using progestin-only, combined estrogen and progestin, and women not using HC. These findings provide evidence that exogenous hormones may be an advantageous treatment target and that they warrant additional study.

Smoking and suicidal ideation among college students: Smoking expectancies as potential moderators.

Objective: In the present study, we sought to establish a link between suicidal ideation (SI) and smoking in college students, determine whether psychopathology accounted for the association, and determine whether smoking expectancies were moderators. Participants: Participants (N = 607) were identified as nonsmokers, exsmokers, infrequent smokers, or daily smokers. Methods: Participants were assessed for smoking patterns, smoking expectancies, psychopathology, SI, and past suicide attempts. Results: Daily smokers had the highest level of SI. There was a dose-response relationship between smoking and SI, such that the higher the daily smoking rate, the greater the SI, even when controlling for depression, alcohol use, and drug use. Trend-level results indicated that at lower smoking rates, elevated smoking-related negative affect reduction (NAR) expectancies were associated with lower SI, while elevated NAR expectancies in combination with higher smoking rates were associated with greater SI. Conclusion: Smoking cessation programs for college students should screen for SI.

Dual users of e-cigarettes and cigarettes have greater positive smoking expectancies than regular smokers: a study of smoking expectancies among college students.

Objective: In the present study, we sought to determine the differences among college students using e-cigarettes, cigarettes, or both products (dual users) on smoking outcome expectancies and the role of smoking expectancies and e-cigarette use in cessation attempts. Participants: We surveyed 1,370 undergraduate college students from November 2014 to November 2016. Methods: Participants completed questionnaires regarding demographics, smoking status/history, and expectancies. Results: Dual users reported significantly longer smoking histories and more past quit attempts than other smoking groups. Those reporting dual use reported higher expectancies on positive/negative reinforcement and appetite/weight control subscales of the SCQ. E-cigarette use was a negative predictor of cessation attempts. Conclusions: College students appear to be less motivated to use e-cigarettes for cessation and dual users endorsed higher levels of smoking expectancies previously shown to negatively impact treatment outcomes. Students, especially dual users, need targeted interventions to address the dangers of using tobacco products.

Financial strain mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death accounting for about 0.48 million deaths in the US every year. Across the socioeconomic status (SES) gradient smoking prevalence differs greatly, with those of lower SES smoking at much higher rates than those of higher SES. Previous studies have shown relationships between socioeconomic status, financial strain, and smoking. However, little research has explored the possibility that financial strain might mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking. Thus, the goal of the current study was to determine whether financial strain was a mediating factor in the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking. METHODS: Participants (N=238) were primarily female (67.6%) and African-American adults (51.7%) from the Dallas metropolitan area. The majority of the sample reported that they did not currently smoke (n=164). Participants who reported currently smoking at baseline (n=74) smoked an average of 9.96 (SD=10.79) cigarettes per day. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that financial strain partially mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking status. Additionally, financial strain was found to significantly partially mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and cigarettes smoked prospectively over the next 7 days. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, findings suggest that greater financial strain may be one factor that links SES with current smoking and smoking level among those who smoke.

Motivation and readiness for tobacco cessation among nicotine dependent postmenopausal females: A pilot study.

Despite considerable health risks due to lower levels of estrogen production and the compounding antiestrogenic effects of nicotine, postmenopausal females continue to smoke. These females face significant barriers to cessation, including negative affect, weight concerns, and menopausal symptom severity. The current pilot study explored the effect of negative affect, weight concerns, and menopausal symptom severity on motivation and readiness to quit smoking. Eighteen postmenopausal smokers were randomized to receive brief motivational interviewing (B-MI; n = 8) or control treatment (i.e., a 1-hour video, n = 10). Participants completed measures of negative affect, weight concerns, and menopausal symptoms, as well as measures of motivation and readiness to quit. Motivation and readiness to quit were reassessed one week following treatment. At baseline, weight concerns, specifically surrounding smoking to prevent overeating, were identified as related to increased motivation to quit smoking. Menopausal symptom severity, specifically somatic symptoms, assessed at baseline, was associated with increased readiness for cessation. B-MI did not increase motivation or readiness to quit; however, results indicate that cigarettes per day decreased from baseline to follow-up by approximately 20-30%. These results provide valuable insight into enhancing engagement in a cessation treatment among this population. (PsycINFO Database Record