Date of Award

Spring 2021

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Major

Psychology

First Advisor

Laura Holt

Abstract

Vaping has become a common method to consume nicotine and cannabis on college campuses across the United States. Between 2017 and 2019 there was a significant increase in the prevalence of both nicotine (6% to 22%) and cannabis vaping (5% to 14%) among college students. As of 2019, there were over 2,000 vaping-associated lung injuries or deaths and recent data suggest nicotine vaping was associated with greater risk of contracting COVID-19. In the present study, I examined data from an online survey of seven colleges and universities across the US (N=2160) to determine the prevalence of nicotine vaping, cannabis vaping, and dual use (i.e., nicotine and cannabis). A second aim was to determine whether these user groups differed by demographic characteristics and other characteristics such as impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and family history of substance use. As hypothesized, males were more likely to endorse dual use and Whites were less likely to identify as nonusers. Contrary to my hypothesis, there was no difference in socioeconomic scores by user group. Dual users were higher in impulsivity, had a higher family history density, and had greater depressive and anxious symptoms than all other user groups, which was somewhat consistent with my hypothesis, although I expected single users to score higher than nonusers on these variables as well. These findings may help to inform the development of brief interventions that target dual users and take into account characteristics and vulnerabilities that are more likely in this group.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College, Hartford CT for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS