Open Collections

Belliveau, Michelle

University of British Columbia

Problem: Rates of vaping and smoking have increased across Canada since 2015. Several factors appear to influence these rates, yet there is limited research on the relationships among these factors. The purpose of the current study was to explore the associations between social media use and vaping and smoking behaviours, accounting for the mediational effects of mental illness symptoms (i.e., anxiety and depression). Method: An online survey was conducted with adults 19 years and older living in Canada. The study utilized four indicators of the latent construct, social media use (i.e., social media dependency, engagement, frequency, and the number of platforms), two measures of mental illness symptoms (i.e., anxiety and depression), and two measures of smoking/vaping (i.e., status and nicotine dependency). The data were analyzed using R. Our final analysis included both general and generalized structural equation models. Results: Vaping status: Social media use had a significant negative relationship with vaping status, but when mediated by symptoms of mental illness, the association was not significant. Nicotine dependency among vapers: The relationship between social media use and nicotine dependency was not significant, but the relationship mediated by mental illness symptoms was both positive and significant. Smoking status: As with vaping status, social media use had a significant, negative relationship with smoking status. However, the relationship when mediated by mental illness symptoms was positive and significant. Nicotine dependency among smokers: Again, social media use had a significant, negative effect on nicotine dependency, and the mediated relationship was positive and significant. Conclusions: Mental illness symptoms appear to mediate the association between social media use, smoking status and nicotine dependency among vapers and smokers. These findings suggest that it is essential to examine the contributing factors related to social media use associated with vaping and smoking. Future studies should seek to include additional types of mental illness symptoms across various at-risk groups to determine appropriate intervention and prevention approaches.

Text

2022-01-13

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/80654

Social Work

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/