Overview

Abstract (English)

Highlights * Dual users had the highest prevalence of adverse mental health status. * The association of e-cigarette use and mental health was found to be modified by smoking status and sex. * E-cigarette use was consistently associated with poor mental health among non-smokers and women. Abstract Background To examine the association between electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and adverse mental health status. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the 2015 and 2016 Canadian Community Health Survey (n = 53,050). Sampling weights and associated bootstrap procedures were used to account for survey design effects. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to examine the association between e-cigarette use and the following mental health outcomes: depressive symptom ratings (using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9), self-reported professionally diagnosed mood and anxiety disorders, perceived mental health, suicidal thoughts/attempts, and binge drinking. Results The overall prevalence of past 30-day e-cigarette use was 2.9% (95% CI: 2.6-3.1). 11.5% (95% CI: 10.4-12.7) of smokers reported also using e-cigarettes. Dual users had the highest prevalence of adverse mental health status. The association between e-cigarette use and mental health was found to be modified by smoking status and sex in most of the logistic models. E-cigarettes had less than multiplicative effects among smokers. Female e-cigarette users tended to have higher odds of adverse mental health than male users. Overall, in the multivariable modeling, e-cigarette use was consistently associated with poor mental health among non-smokers and women, a finding that persisted after adjustment for additional covariates. Conclusions These results indicate that e-cigarette use is associated with adverse mental health status, particularly among the non-smoking general population and women. Limitations The study relied on respondent self-report, and the cross-sectional nature of the study does not allow us to clarify the direction of this association.

Abstract (French)

Please note that abstracts only appear in the language of the publication and might not have a translation.