E-Cigarette Use Is associated with Increased Psychological Distress among Youth: a Pooled Cross-Sectional analysis of State-Level Data from 2019 and 2021.

Introduction:
This text presents a study examining the associations between youth substance use and mental health problems before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study uses data from the Prevention Needs assessment (PNa) survey administered every two years to youth by the Utah Division of Substance abuse and Mental health (UDSaMh). The PNa provides similar items on youth substance use and health behaviors to the Center for Disease Control’s Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from the 2019 and 2021 waves of the PNa survey, with a sample of 58,689 youth in 2019 and 46,823 youth in 2021.
* The study measures psychological distress using two indicators: depressive symptoms and mental health treatment needs.
* Substance use is measured using four variables: past 30-day e-cigarette use, past 30-day cigarette use, past 30-day cannabis use, and past 2-week heavy alcohol use.
* The study controls for sociodemographic factors, including age, gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and household education.
* Results indicate that recent e-cigarette, combustible cigarette, cannabis, and heavy alcohol use are each significantly associated with increased levels of psychological distress.
* The association between e-cigarette use and depressive symptoms strengthened significantly from 2019 to 2021.
* The study suggests that health professionals should consider recent e-cigarette use an increasingly important behavioral marker for risks of mental health problems among youth.

Main Message:
The main message of this study is that recent e-cigarette use is significantly associated with increased psychological distress among youth, even after controlling for other substance use and sociodemographic factors. The study also highlights the importance of considering e-cigarette use as a behavioral marker of risk for mental health problems among youth, especially in light of the ongoing youth mental health crisis and the widespread adoption of e-cigarettes. The study's findings suggest that future research should include e-cigarettes when examining the temporal ordering of substance use and mental health among youth.

Cambron C. E-Cigarette Use Is associated with Increased Psychological Distress among Youth: a Pooled Cross-Sectional analysis of State-Level Data from 2019 and 2021. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022;19(18). doi:10.3390/ijerph191811726