A new study has found that teenagers who use vapes or regular cigarettes are more likely to experience depression and anxiety. The study analyzed data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted from 2021 to 2023, revealing that 21.31% of middle and high school students used tobacco products, with 9.94% using vapes. Compared to teenagers who did not use tobacco products, smokers and vape users showed a higher risk of depression and anxiety. Experts recommend continuing to promote mental health support and implementing targeted intervention measures.
Key points:
- The research findings show that teenagers who use vapes or regular cigarettes are more likely to experience depression and anxiety.
- Data source: The research is based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted from 2021 to 2023, involving 60,072 middle school and high school students.
- Key data: 21.31% of teenagers use tobacco products, among which 9.94% use vapes and 3.61% only use traditional tobacco products.
- Expert advice: It is necessary to continue promoting mental health support and implementing targeted intervention measures to combat tobacco use among teenagers.
US Study: Teenagers’ Use of Vapes or Regular Cigarettes
According to an article by The Independent on July 24th, a recent study in the United States shows that teenagers who use vapes or smoke are more likely to experience depression and anxiety.
Previous studies have shown that tobacco use can lead to a deterioration in mental health. However, there are far fewer studies on the connection between the use of vapes and cigarettes by teenagers and mental health.
The authors of the study from West Virginia University in the United States explained that understanding this connection is crucial because teenagers are in a critical stage of development, during which many health-related behaviors begin to emerge.
More prone to developing depression and anxiety disorders
This study was published in the journal “PLOS Mental Health”. The researchers used the data on tobacco use, depression and anxiety symptoms of different groups from the national youth tobacco survey conducted from 2021 to 2023.
Data source
Among the 60,072 middle and high school students who completed the questionnaire, 21.31% used tobacco products, 9.94% used vapes, only 3.61% used traditional tobacco products, and 7.80% used both.
Overall, the survey results show that 25.21% of the respondents indicated having symptoms related to depression, and 29.55% reported having anxiety symptoms.
Compared with teenagers who do not use any tobacco products, smokers and vape users show a higher risk of depression and anxiety. In contrast, those who use both traditional tobacco products and nicotine products report the highest likelihood of mental health problems.
Key data
According to data from the British Smoking and Health Action Organization (ASH), in the UK, it is estimated that 1.1 million young people aged 11 to 17 are using vapes, while 100,000 are smoking.
Meanwhile, among the 5-16-year-old teenagers in England in 2020, one-sixth had experienced mental health problems, compared to one-ninth in 2017.
The authors of the study concluded:
- “Although the causal relationship cannot be determined, the results of this study indicate that all forms of tobacco use are significantly associated with mental health problems. It is necessary to continue promoting mental health support and implementing targeted intervention measures to combat tobacco use among teenagers.”
Expert advice
Dr Lion Shahab, a member of the British Psychological Society, stated that this study might not have controlled for important factors that influence vape usage and mental health symptoms. He pointed out that the study did not take into account the family history of mental health problems, which might explain this correlation.
However, he agreed that there is a connection between addiction and mental health. He explained that studies have shown that there is a strong link between mental health problems and the initiation of vape use by patients.
He said:
- “Now, more teenagers are reporting that they are addicted to vapes. The degree of addiction they report is similar to that of cigarettes, so addiction itself may not be good for mental health.”
Although the study did find a link between teenagers’ attempts to smoke cigarettes and vapes and the occurrence of depression and anxiety, this does not mean that one causes the other, said Dr Johnathan Livingstone-Banks, an evidence-based healthcare researcher at the University of Oxford.
- “This might merely be because teenagers with poor mental health are more likely to try it. However, this does not mean that this correlation should not be taken seriously, and there is evidence suggesting that quitting smoking can improve mental health in adults.”
