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Abstract Introduction Young adulthood is both a time of initiation and progression to habitual tobacco use and when risk-taking behaviors (e.g., sensation seeking and impulsivity) peak. Poor sleep quality and greater daytime sleepiness may influence greater risk-taking, which may, in turn, increase susceptibility to use tobacco products. We explored associations among young adults’ sleep quality and sleepiness, risk-taking, and susceptibility and motivation to use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), the most popular tobacco product among this age group. Methods In an online survey, young adults recruited from social media who did not use e-cigarettes in the past 30 days (N=75) completed questions about their sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index PSQI, higher scores = greater sleep problems) and sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale ESS, higher scores = greater daytime sleepiness), risk-taking (sensation seeking and impulsivity), susceptibility to use e-cigarettes, and motivations to avoid e-cigarettes in the future. Using a series of PROCESS mediation models, we examined the association between sleep (quality and sleepiness) and susceptibility and motivation to use e-cigarettes when mediated by risk-taking. Results Participants identified as predominantly female (77%), non-Hispanic White (60%), and were on average 23 years old (range: 18 to 26 years). Higher PSQI scores were significantly associated with greater sensation seeking (p = 0.02). Greater sensation seeking was associated with greater susceptibility to use e-cigarettes (p = 0.03). The indirect effects were significant (95% CI 0.002, 0.064) while the direct effect between PSQI and susceptibility was not. Similarly, higher ESS scores were significantly associated with greater impulsivity (p = 0.01). Greater impulsivity was significantly associated with lower motivations to avoid e-cigarettes (p = 0.01). The indirect effects were significant (95% CI -0.100, -0.004) while the direct effect between ESS and motivation was not. No other associations were significant. Conclusion We provide preliminary evidence on how worse sleep is indirectly associated with increased susceptibility/motivation to use e-cigarettes through risk-taking. This complex association between sleep health and e-cigarette susceptibility should be further examined. Support (if any) This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health (NIH, Grant # R00DA046563 Supplement).
Stevens et al. (Sat,) studied this question.