A recent study led by Emily Hackworth, a 2024 graduate of the Arnold School’s Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, and co-authors has found that youth (ages 16-19) with internalizing mental health symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression, sadness loneliness) are more likely to turn to nicotine products (particularly electronic cigarettes) than their peers. Published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, the study also revealed that the pandemic and its aftermath has likely played a role in this relationship.
Internalizing mental health symptoms are highly prevalent among adolescents but are rarely diagnosed or treated until adulthood. These untreated individuals are at risk for adverse outcomes, such as suicide as well as substance and tobacco use – which largely account for life…