Vaping in a Time of Pandemics: Risk Perception and Motivations for Electronic Cigarette Use.

INTRODUCTION: prior studies on the association between the intensity of and motives for vaping e-cigarettes have highlighted the psychological dynamics of motivational changes, but less about how vaping motives may shift as a function of risk perceptions exacerbated by unanticipated events. This study frames the COVID-19 pandemic as an exacerbating threat to pulmonary health, and tests how e-cigarette users' risk perceptions of COVID-19 are related to different motives for vaping and ultimately the intensity of e-cigarette use. METHODS: an online survey of e-cigarette users in the U.S. (n=562) was conducted during April 2020 when much of the U.S. was under "lockdown" conditions. We distinguished three types of vaping motives (health, socialization, and dependence) and established the classification with confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was conducted for path analyses and mediation tests. RESULTS: all three vaping motives were significantly associated with greater use intensity. A heightened risk perception of e-cigarette users' vulnerability to COVID-19 was inversely associated with use intensity (-.18, p<.01) and health motives for vaping (-.27, p<.001), but not associated with socialization and dependence motivations. Health motives for vaping mediated 35% of the association between COVID-19 risk perceptions and use intensity. CONCLUSIONS: our findings indicate that risk perceptions of exacerbated threats may reduce e-cigarette use directly, and also indirectly through shifting certain types of motivations for vaping. Beyond elucidating the relational dynamics between vaping psychology and health risks, these results also indicate health professionals may leverage the pandemic to promote nicotine cessation or reduced use. IMPLICATION: Little is known about how vaping motives shift after unanticipated events such as pandemics. This study contributes to knowledge of how the use of e-cigarettes is motivated by different dimensions of rationales and exogenous risks. Exploiting the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we found risk perceptions are associated with the intensity of e-cigarette use indirectly specifically through health motivations. Risk perceptions are not associated with socialization and dependence motives for vaping.

Social Network Ties and Responses to COVID-19 Among E-Cigarette Users.

Social networks can enhance behavioral changes or entrench existing patterns of behavior. We aimed to identify how network ties to other e-cigarette users shaped responses to the pandemic and e-cigarette considerations. A national U.S. survey of 562 e-cigarette users was conducted during April 2020. Participants self-reported network ties to other e-cigarette users and pandemic outcomes: receiving expressions of concern about vaping, risk for a bad COVID outcome, changes in e-cigarette risk perceptions, and considerations of quitting. Each additional e-cigarette user tie was associated with a 0.014 unit increase in expressions of concern (p < 0.001), a 0.034 unit increase in perceived risk of a bad outcome (p < 0.05), and 3.9% higher odds of quit considerations (OR = 1.039; p < 0.01). Family ties to e-cigarette users were particularly important. Additional e-cigarette users within a network shaped risk perceptions in response to COVID-19. Network ties to other e-cigarette users have implications for cessation or reduction of e-cigarette use.

Changes in family chaos and family relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from a longitudinal study.

The purpose of this article was to explore how family chaos, parenting processes, parent-child relationship qualities, and sibling relationship qualities changed before versus the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included one parent and two adolescent-aged children from 682 families (2,046 participants). Parents and youth participating in an ongoing longitudinal study in five Midwestern states in the United States completed an additional web-based assessment of family processes and family relationship qualities during the May-June 2020 pandemic-related shutdowns. A series of two-wave latent change score models indicated that family chaos increased with the onset of pandemic-related shutdowns and that the level of chaos within a family during the shutdowns had implications for changes in several parenting processes and family relationship qualities. Specifically, higher levels of family chaos during the pandemic mitigated observed increases in parental knowledge and were associated with declines in parental autonomy granting. Family chaos during pandemic-related shutdowns also was associated with increases in maternal-child conflict, paternal-child conflict, and sibling conflict as well as decreases in paternal-child intimacy, sibling intimacy, and sibling disclosure. Overall, consistent with a family stress perspective, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased strain and commotion within many households, and these changes had implications for multiple family relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Parents Who First Allowed Adolescents to Drink Alcohol in a Family Context During Spring 2020 COVID-19 Emergency Shutdowns.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 stay-at-home orders during Spring 2020 dramatically changed daily life and created significant challenges for families. We document levels and predictors of U.S. parents who newly allowed adolescents to drink alcohol at home during the shutdown. METHODS: Participants in an ongoing longitudinal study were two adolescent siblings (N = 911, M = 14.43, SD = 1.54 years) and one parent (N = 456; 85% mothers) who provided self-report data before the pandemic (T1) and during the shutdown. RESULTS: No parents permitted adolescent drinking with family at T1; nearly one in six allowed it during the shutdown. In full models, adolescents who previously drank (without permission) and had light or heavy drinking parents were more likely to be newly permitted to drink. CONCLUSIONS: Parents' alcohol permissibility within family contexts changed during the pandemic and was shaped by both parent and adolescent drinking. Well-child visits should continue adolescent alcohol screening and parent support during and after the pandemic.

Beliefs on COVID-19 Among Electronic Cigarette Users: Behavioral Responses and Implications for COVID Prevention and E-Cigarette Interventions

E-cigarette users? beliefs about COVID-19 may shape their responses to the pandemic and their e-cigarette consumption. A U.S. national cross-sectional survey of 562 e-cigarette users was conducted in April 2020. Participants self-reported nicotine consumption, COVID-19 beliefs, beliefs about e-cigarettes, social distancing, COVID-19 disruptions, cessation considerations, and individual characteristics. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression provided unstandardized, and standardized coefficients. Frequency of e-cigarette use is inversely associated with beliefs COVID-19 is relevant (? = ?0.215). Beliefs e-cigarettes are addictive, harmful, or pose a risk to future health were positively associated with beliefs COVID-19 is relevant (? = 0.171;? = 0.164;? = 0.203), beliefs the media are truthful on COVID-19 (? = 0.133;? = 0.136;? = 0.137), and beliefs e-cigarette users are at greater risk (? = 0.279;? = 0.411;? = 0.447). All three COVID-19 beliefs (COVID relevant;media truthful;and greater risk) were positively associated with social distancing (? = 0.307;? = 0.259;? = 0.115), work disruptions (? = 0.134;? = 0.135;? = 0.130), family disruptions (? = 0.232;? = 0.131;? = 0.164), friendship disruptions (? = 0.214;? = 0.139;? = 0.133), and considerations of quitting (? = 0.250;? = 0.222;? = 0.620). Strong associations between e-cigarette beliefs and COVID-19 beliefs exist. COVID-19 beliefs are associated with behavioral responses, such as social distancing and considerations of e-cigarette cessation. Interventions may be able to leverage COVID-19 beliefs to reduce e-cigarette consumption or promote cessation during the pandemic.