Citation

Kim JS, Kim K. J. Public Health (Oxford) 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/pubmed/fdz086

PMID

31334765

Abstract

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.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescents; e-cigarettes; suicide behaviors; suicide ideation