U.S. Study: Teen Use of E-Cigarettes or Cigarettes Linked to Higher Risk of Depression and Anxiety

Key points:

·Study finds: Teenagers who use e-cigarettes or traditional cigarettes are more likely to experience feelings of depression and anxiety. 

·Data source: The research is based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey from 2021-2023, involving 60,072 middle and high school students. 

·Key data: 21.31% of teenagers use tobacco products, with 9.94% using e-cigarettes and 3.61% using only traditional tobacco products. 

·Experts suggest: It is necessary to continue promoting mental health support and implementing targeted intervention measures to combat teenage tobacco use.

【2Firsts news flash】According to a report from The Independent on July 24th, a recent study in the United States has shown that adolescents who use e-cigarettes or smoke are more likely to experience feelings of depression and anxiety.

Previous research has found that tobacco use can lead to worsening mental health conditions, but there is much less research on the connection between adolescent use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes and mental health.

The authors of a study at West Virginia University in the United States explained that understanding this connection is crucial, as adolescents are in a critical developmental stage during which many health-related behaviors begin to emerge.

The study was published in the "PLOS Mental Health" journal. Researchers used data from the 2021-2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey on tobacco use, depression, and anxiety symptoms among different populations.

Among the 60,072 middle and high school students who completed the survey, 21.31% used tobacco products, 9.94% used e-cigarettes, only 3.61% exclusively used traditional tobacco products, and 7.80% used both.

Overall, the survey results show that 25.21% of respondents reported symptoms related to depression, while 29.55% reported experiencing anxiety symptoms.

Compared to adolescents who do not use any tobacco products, smokers and e-cigarette users show a higher risk of depression and anxiety, while individuals who use both traditional tobacco products and nicotine products are reported to have the highest likelihood of experiencing mental health issues.

According to data from the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) organization in the UK, an estimated 1.1 million young people aged 11 to 17 use e-cigarettes, while 100,000 smoke traditional cigarettes.

Meanwhile, in 2020, one in six teenagers aged five to sixteen in England experienced mental health issues, compared to one in nine in 2017.

The researchers concluded that:

"Although the causal relationship cannot be determined, the results of this study show that all forms of tobacco use are significantly associated with mental health issues. It is necessary to continue promoting mental health support and implementing targeted interventions to combat tobacco use among young people."

Dr. Lion Shahab, a member of the British Psychological Society, stated that the study may not have controlled for important factors influencing e-cigarette use and mental health symptoms. He pointed out that the study did not take into account family history of mental health issues, which could explain this association.

However, he agreed that there is a link between addiction and mental health. He explained that studies have shown a strong connection between the use of e-cigarettes and mental health issues in patients.

He stated:

"There are now more teenagers reporting that they are addicted to e-cigarettes. The level of addiction they report is similar to that of traditional cigarettes, so addiction itself may not be good for mental health."

Although the study did find a link between teenagers trying cigarettes and e-cigarettes to experiencing depression and anxiety, that does not mean one causes the other, said Dr. Johnathan Livingstone-Banks, a researcher in evidence-based healthcare at the University of Oxford.

"This may simply be that adolescents with poor mental health are more likely to experiment. However, this does not mean that this correlation should not be taken seriously, and there is evidence to suggest that quitting smoking in adults can improve mental health."