Social Learning, Social Bonds, Self-Control and Adolescent Nicotine Vaping

Abstract

Objectives The aim of this study was to examine whether three theories of adolescent substance use—social learning, social bonding, and self-control—were useful for predicting adolescent nicotine vaping. Methods: The analysis utilized data on U.S. 8th and 10th grade students from the 2017 and 2018 Monitoring the Future (MTF) studies, repeated cross-sectional surveys that included 11,624 youth who responded to questions about past 12-month nicotine vaping. Measures from each of the three theories were used to predict the outcome using a zero-inflated negative binomial model. Results: The results demonstrated that variables from social learning and self-control theories were key predictors of nicotine vaping. Friends’ substance use appeared as the most consequential predictor, followed by low self-control or higher risk-taking propensities. An interaction effect also suggested that friends’ substance use had a stronger association with nicotine vaping among youth who reported higher self-control. Conclusions/Importance: The findings suggested that adolescent nicotine vaping is a consequence of social learning influences and low self-control. Future research should explore these and similar factors in more detail.