Pain intensity, e-cigarette dependence, and cessation-related outcomes: The moderating role of pain-related anxiety.

Introduction:
This text discusses a study examining the relationship between pain intensity, pain-related anxiety, and e-cigarette dependence and cessation-related outcomes. The study also explores the potential moderating role of pain-related anxiety in the relationship between pain intensity and e-cigarette use. By understanding these relationships, the study aims to identify e-cigarette users who may be at risk for greater dependence and difficulty quitting.

Key Points:

* The study utilized a cross-sectional design with an online survey of 520 e-cigarette users.
* Participants completed measures assessing pain intensity, pain-related anxiety, e-cigarette dependence, motivation to quit, number of lifetime quit attempts, perceived barriers to cessation, and negative abstinence expectancies.
* Results indicated that pain intensity and pain-related anxiety were each associated with greater e-cigarette dependence.
* Pain-related anxiety was also associated with more perceived barriers to quitting e-cigarettes.
* Pain intensity was positively associated with motivation to quit e-cigarettes, likelihood of previously attempting to quit, and negative expectancies for abstaining from e-cigarettes among participants who reported high (but not moderate or low) pain-related anxiety.
* approximately 80% of the sample identified as White, and the mean level of e-cigarette dependence was low-to-moderate.
* Participants were not recruited based on the presence of chronic pain, and future research is needed to examine covariation between pain intensity, pain-related anxiety, and e-cigarette use among individuals with chronic pain.
* The study suggests that e-cigarette users with pain may benefit from tailored cessation interventions that target pain-related anxiety, and that pain-related anxiety may be an important transdiagnostic factor underlying co-occurring pain and e-cigarette use.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of considering pain-related factors in e-cigarette dependence and cessation-related outcomes. Specifically, the findings suggest that e-cigarette users with pain may be at greater risk for dependence and difficulty quitting, particularly if they also report high levels of pain-related anxiety. These results have important clinical implications, as tailored interventions that target pain-related anxiety may be effective in promoting cessation among e-cigarette users with pain. Future research is needed to replicate these findings in more diverse samples and to examine the potential causal relationships between pain, pain-related anxiety, and e-cigarette use.

Powers JM, LaRowe LR, Garey L, Zvolensky MJ, Ditre JW. Pain intensity, e-cigarette dependence, and cessation-related outcomes: The moderating role of pain-related anxiety. addictive behaviors. 2020;111:106548. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106548