Could vaping be a source of stress for young people?

Is vaping a good way to stop smoking, or just a bad idea?

Some health professionals approve of using this alternative, provided its use is properly monitored. This doesn’t just involve receiving support to use the electronic cigarette optimally, but also means treating vapes as a weaning tool – in other words, by stopping using them as soon as possible.

And for good reason: current data is insufficient to determine the long-term effects of e-cigarette use. One of the most recent studies on the subject highlighted a link between vaping and respiratory symptoms in young users, while others have suggested effects on asthma. Today, however, it’s mental health that’s the focus of newly presented research.

“Research is starting to show how vaping affects young people’s physical and mental health. For example, our previous research has shown that those who vape are more likely to suffer an asthma attack. In this study we were particularly interested in the relationship between vaping, mental health and quality of life among young people,” said Dr Teresa To, a senior scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada, who presented the study at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy.

The research was based on data from a national study representing the Canadian population, with a final sample of 905 people aged 15 to 30, more than a tenth of whom reported having used e-cigarettes.

ALSO SEE: How to look after your mental health when the pressure is on

An increase in chronic stress

The results of this observational study suggest that young people who vaped were twice as likely to report experiencing or having experienced chronic stress, or even “extreme chronic stress,” than those who didn’t use e-cigarettes.

The study shows a link between vaping and stress in young people, but the scientists were unable to determine whether stress was behind an increase in vaping or whether, on the contrary, e-cigarettes were likely to increase “experiences of stress.”

The research nevertheless took into account factors capable of impacting stress levels, such as income, alcohol consumption and certain health issues.

“Chronic stress can lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. It’s important for young people experiencing chronic stress to be given support early on to help them avoid resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms like vaping or smoking. Vaping is not an effective way to cope with stress, but stress and anxiety can trigger vape cravings, and make it harder for a user to quit,” Dr Teresa To said.

The study also found that young vapers are likely to be more physically active, and have a poorer quality of life than those who don’t use e-cigarettes. A finding which may seem paradoxical, and which raises questions for the researchers.

“We do not know why young people using e-cigarettes tend to be more physically active, but it could be that they are trying to control their weight with exercise and believe vaping could help,” says the researcher.

Stress and vaping, a vicious circle?

This is an observational study, and therefore cannot establish a direct link between vaping and increased stress levels or experiences of stress.

However, these are not the only data published on the subject, not least in Canada. The latest results from the Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, conducted in 2021 in the country, show that vaping remained stable during the pandemic among young people aged 15 to 19, but that 33% of these very young vapers said they used e-cigarettes to reduce stress.

This figure is up sharply on the last survey conducted in 2019 (21%).

In France, daily e-cigarette use tripled between 2017 and 2022 among 17-year-old teenagers, according to the ESCAPAD 2022 survey, while the National Youth Tobacco Survey reported a decline in the number of young vapers in the US in 2021, but with nearly 2 million young people aged 11 to 18 still using e-cigarettes on a regular basis – even though these figures may have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

For all these reasons, scientists are keen to accelerate research into the long-term effects of vaping.

“This study suggests a link between vaping and stress among young people, and it adds to what we already know about the effects of vaping on young people’s health.

Vaping is still relatively new, but the numbers of children and young people using e-cigarettes are rising rapidly. We need more research on the impacts of vaping, but we also need to raise awareness of the harms of using e-cigarettes and provide support to help young people avoid or quit vaping,” concludes professor Elif Dağlı, chair of the European Respiratory Society’s group on tobacco, smoking control and health education, who was not involved in the research.

NOW READ: Pain, anxiety: Medical cannabis could improve quality of life for those with chronic health issues