Cigarette and e-cigarette use as a function of psychological distress following COVID-19 related university campus closures

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Individuals experienced increased social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have found social isolation and loneliness to be strongly associated with anxiety and depression, which have been associated with increased smoking and vaping rates among young adults, including college students. Objectives: To examine relationships between psychological distress and nicotine use within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey (n = 4634; 77.9% female) was used to collect nicotine use and psychological measures from students enrolled at a large Midwestern university. Timeline follow-back data were collected from students reporting current cigarette or electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use in the week before and immediately following the closure of campus due to the pandemic. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the interaction between nicotine use and psychological symptoms across the 2-week period. Results: Both cigarette (Rate ratio (RR) = 1.115, 95% CI = 1.061, 1.171, p < .0001) and e-cigarette (β = 0.258, 95% CI = 0.166, 0.351, p < .0001) use increased significantly following campus closure. Students experiencing higher levels of depression reported greater increases in e-cigarette use frequency over time as compared to students reporting fewer symptoms of depression (β = 0.018, 95% CI = 0.006, 0.030, p = .004). Conclusions: Increases in nicotine use were found immediately following the implementation of public health safety measures that closed most university campuses. Additional and/or increased stressors have potentially impacted young adults who are college students as a result of campus closures resulting from the pandemic, which may have contributed to further increases in nicotine use.