Longitudinal impact of impulsivity and sensation-seeking on vaping initiation: The moderating role of peer vaping

Abstract

Limited research indicates impulsivity and sensation-seeking are associated with electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use in young adulthood, however, no study has examined the moderating effect of peer ENDS use on these associations. We examined the impacts of impulsivity and sensation-seeking on ENDS use initiation and determined if peer ENDS use moderates these associations. Participants were 2,590 ENDS naïve (i.e., never used ENDS) young adults involved in multi-wave, 4.5-year longitudinal study (Fall, 2014 – Spring, 2019). At baseline, participants were 18–25 years old (M = 20.1; SD = 1.8), 66.5 % female, 34.2 % non-Hispanic white, 28.1 % Hispanic/Latino, 8.6 % Black, 21.6 % Asian, and 7.4 % identified as another race/ethnicity. Cox’s regression models were used to test hypotheses. Predictors were time-varying impulsivity and sensation-seeking, and the moderator was time-varying peer ENDS use. The outcome, ENDS use initiation, was assessed by querying ever ENDS use over 7 follow-up waves. Covariates included socio-demographic characteristics, past 30-day other tobacco use, cannabis use, and binge drinking. Nearly 29% of participants initiated ENDS use during the study period. Sensation-seeking predicted an increased risk of initiating ENDS use (HR = 1.12, 95 %CI:1.03,1.22), but impulsivity did not. Although peer ENDS use directly predicted an increased risk for initiating ENDS use (HR = 1.57, 95 %CI:1.46, 1.68), peer ENDS use did not moderate the associations of impulsivity and sensation-seeking on ENDS use initiation. The role of sensation-seeking on ENDS use initiation is independent of peer use. Prevention programs tailored to those high in sensation-seeking may consider changing attitudes about how desires for novel experiences can be achieved through healthier behaviors.