Researchers from the University of Otago identified three personality features that could point to an increased chance of vaping in adulthood.
Though traditional cigarettes are still the most popular medium for nicotine, vaping and e-cigarettes are quickly becoming the norm amongst younger demographics. Despite popular belief, flavored air puffs are also shown to be more addictive than traditional cigarettes and harder to quit.
What are the three traits linked to an increased chance of vaping?
The University research team, led by Professor Tamlin Conner and Andre Mason, recently published their concerning findings in the Drug and Alcohol Review journal.
Analyzing data sets from New Zealand, they discovered that poor mental health, lower self-control, and higher “extraversion” were all significant personality traits linked to an increase in vaping for non-smokers.
For those of you who don’t know, extraversion is described as someone who is typically more sociable, talkative, and assertive. In contrast, people with better mental health, higher self-control, and less social tendencies, were less likely to take up vaping.
“Interventions to prevent vaping uptake among non-smoking adults could be more effective if they address mental health, self-control, or social factors,” Professor Conner said. “For example, one could tailor interventions to appeal to at-risk individuals, providing them with additional support to prevent vaping initiation.
“Similarly, interventions and funding to improve mental health could have flow-on benefits to reducing vaping.”
It’s a bit more complicated than simply having poor mental health
The professor of Psychology also pointed out that poor mental health is not a direct cause of vaping. For instance, someone with poor mental health might start vaping to alleviate pain, while someone who is extraverted will typically be around more vapers in social settings.
It’s also worth noting that the psychological data identified a bigger uptake than other socioeconomic factors like economic stability. People were 40% more likely to start vaping over mental distress, compared with the 7% of people who started as a result of poor finances.
