Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
Communication Department, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA.
Addict Behav. 2025 Jan;160:108174. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108174. Epub 2024 Sep 23.
While most U.S. young adults attribute e-cigarette use (vaping) to stress coping, it is relatively unknown how young adults' stress levels influence their e-cigarette health message responses and vaping abstinence intentions.
In an online crowdsourcing study, young adults who currently vape (N = 346, M = 25.24) were assessed for their past-30-day stress levels. Then, they saw a message about the health effects of vaping and were asked questions about the messages and their vaping abstinence intentions. We performed multiple regressions to examine the main effects of stress levels on message evaluation (message perceptions, effects perceptions) and intentions to abstain from vaping. We then examined the indirect effects of stress levels on abstinence intentions mediated by each message outcome, respectively. Models controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, mental health status, and past-30-day e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking.
Participants with higher stress levels reported more negative message evaluation (ps < 0.05). Additionally, participants with higher stress levels reported lower abstinence intentions via more negative message perceptions (b = -0.02, SE = 0.01, 95 % CI = -0.041, -0.004). Likewise, participants with higher stress levels reported lower abstinence intentions via more negative effects perceptions (b = -0.03, SE = 0.01, 95 % CI = -0.046, -0.008).
Higher stress levels were associated with negative message evaluation among young adults who vape. Additionally, the association of stress levels and abstinence intentions was mediated by negative message evaluation. Public health officials may need to account for stress levels in young adults to increase the effects of e-cigarette health messages on their intentions to abstain from vaping.
虽然大多数美国年轻人将电子烟使用（ vaping）归因于应对压力，但尚不清楚年轻人的压力水平如何影响他们对电子烟健康信息的反应和电子烟戒除意愿。
在一项在线众包研究中，评估了当前使用电子烟的年轻人（N=346，M=25.24）过去 30 天的压力水平。然后，他们看到了一条关于电子烟健康影响的信息，并被问及有关该信息和他们电子烟戒除意愿的问题。我们进行了多元回归分析，以检验压力水平对信息评估（信息感知、效果感知）和电子烟戒除意愿的主要影响。然后，我们分别检验了压力水平通过每个信息结果对戒除意愿的间接影响。模型控制了社会人口统计学特征、心理健康状况以及过去 30 天电子烟使用和吸烟情况。
压力水平较高的参与者报告了更负面的信息评估（p<0.05）。此外，压力水平较高的参与者通过更负面的信息感知报告了较低的戒除意愿（b=-0.02，SE=0.01，95%CI=-0.041，-0.004）。同样，压力水平较高的参与者通过更负面的效果感知报告了较低的戒除意愿（b=-0.03，SE=0.01，95%CI=-0.046，-0.008）。
较高的压力水平与使用电子烟的年轻人的负面信息评估有关。此外，压力水平与戒除意愿之间的关联是通过负面信息评估来介导的。公共卫生官员可能需要考虑年轻人的压力水平，以增加电子烟健康信息对他们戒除意愿的影响。
