Personality and substance use correlates of e-cigarette use in college students.

Introduction:
This text summarizes a study examining the associations between e-cigarette use, personality, and substance use in a sample of college students. The study aimed to fill gaps in the literature by considering novel predictors of e-cigarette use.

Key Points:

* The study sample consisted of 380 college students, with 11.8% reporting weekday e-cigarette use and 13.9% reporting weekend use.
* The variables most strongly associated with e-cigarette use were amount of tobacco cigarette smoking, being male, taking a prescribed stimulant medication for a diagnosed medical condition, and low levels of forgiveness toward others.
* Two of these variables (taking a prescribed stimulant medication and low forgiveness) are novel predictors not previously examined in the literature.
* The study controlled for social desirability response bias and found no differences between e-cigarette users and non-users.
* The Bayes factor method was used to evaluate the evidence for associations between e-cigarette use and potential predictors.
* Large Bayes factors (> 12) were found for alcohol use, tobacco cigarette use, marijuana use, recreational stimulant medication use, frequency of risky behavior, and tendency to approach potentially harmful situations.
* Bayesian logistic regression analyses found that taking a prescribed stimulant medication, higher levels of weekend tobacco cigarette smoking, being male, lower levels of forgiveness toward others, and greater weekday alcohol use predicted weekday e-cigarette use.
* For weekend use, higher levels of weekend tobacco cigarette smoking, taking a prescribed stimulant medication, being male, and lower levels of forgiveness toward others were the strongest predictors.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of considering novel predictors of e-cigarette use, including taking prescribed stimulant medication and low forgiveness toward others. These findings can inform prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing e-cigarette use among college students.

hittner JB, Penmetsa N, Bianculli V, Swickert R. Personality and substance use correlates of e-cigarette use in college students. Personality and Individual Differences. 2020;152:6. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2019.109605