Electronic cigarette use and suicidal behaviors among adolescents

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the use of e-cigarettes, which are regarded as alternatives to traditional cigarettes and are easy to purchase, with suicidal behaviors in adolescents. METHODS: Data for 5405 middle and high school students aged 13-18 years who had used e-cigarettes were extracted from the 2016 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey and analyzed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Among those who used e-cigarettes for 1-30 days in the past 30 days, suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR] = 1.58, 95% CI, 1.31-1.89), suicidal plans (OR = 2.44, 95% CI, 1.94-3.08), suicidal attempts (OR = 2.44, 95% CI, 1.85-3.22) and serious attempts (OR = 3.09, 95% CI, 1.51-6.32) were higher compared to those who did not use an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal behaviors are significantly higher among current adolescent e-cigarette smokers than adolescents who have not used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Therefore, comprehensive intervention is needed to protect adolescents' mental health.