Association between Sexual Violence Victimization and Electronic Vaping Product Use among Adolescents: Findings from a Population-based Study

Abstract

Background

Although studies have investigated the association between sexual violence (SV) victimization and substance use, few studies have examined the association between SV victimization and electronic vaping product (EVP) use among adolescents in the United States. The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between SV victimization and EVP use among adolescents.

Methods

Data were pooled from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 28,135 adolescents (51.2% female) was analyzed using binary logistic regression. The outcome variable investigated was EVP use, and the main explanatory variable was SV victimization.

Results

Of the 28,135 adolescents, the prevalence of past 30-day EVP use and SV victimization was 22.7% and 10.8%, respectively. Controlling for other factors, adolescents who experienced SV had 1.52 times higher odds of being EVP users when compared to their counterparts who did not experience SV (AOR = 1.52, p < .001, 95% CI = 1.27–1.82). Other factors associated with EVP use included cyberbullying victimization, symptoms of depression, and current use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana.

Conclusions

Experiencing SV was associated with EVP use. Future studies that employ longitudinal designs may offer more insight into the mechanisms underlying the association between SV victimization and EVP use. In addition, school-based interventions that focus on sexual violence prevention and reducing substance use among adolescents are warranted.

Keywords:

• Sexual violence victimization
• electronic vaping products
• substance use
• adolescents

Acknowledgements

This paper is based on public data from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of CDC, NIMHD, or their partners. Dr. Baiden had full access to the data and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship and/or the publication of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities grant T37MD014218 (PI: Dr. Cavazos-Rehg).