Peers, Perceptions, and E-Cigarettes: A Social Learning Approach to Explaining E-Cigarette Use Among Youth

• Author: Jonathan Intravia,Gregory C. Rocheleau,Anthony G. Vito
• Published date: 01 October 2020
• Date: 01 October 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0022042620921351
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0022042620921351

Journal of Drug Issues

2020, Vol. 50(4) 472 –489

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/0022042620921351

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Article

Peers, Perceptions, and

E-Cigarettes: A Social Learning

Approach to Explaining

E-Cigarette Use Among Youth

Gregory C. Rocheleau1, Anthony G. Vito1,

and Jonathan Intravia1

Abstract

This study uses social learning theory to examine whether differential associations with

e-cigarette-using peers is related to personal e-cigarette use among youth, and the extent to

which this relationship is explained by personal risk perceptions of e-cigarettes. Moreover, this

study tests whether the mediation process is moderated by type of e-cigarette user. This study

uses a sample of high school seniors from the 2016 Monitoring the Future Study (N = 2,100),

and a subsample of e-cigarette users (n = 523). Analyses are carried out using OLS and logistic

regression. Findings demonstrate that higher levels of peer e-cigarette use are related to higher

odds of personal e-cigarette use, but that risk perceptions of e-cigarettes only explain a modest

portion of that relationship (about 10%). Furthermore, the mediation process does not appear

to vary by type of e-cigarette user. Future directions and policy implications are discussed.

Keywords

vaping, e-cigarettes, social learning theory, peers, risk perception

Introduction

For more than a half century, the link between traditional cigarette use and health concerns (i.e.,

lung cancer) has been well established (Proctor, 2012). In today’s society, similar reservations

regarding the increasing use of electronic cigarettes are starting to spark debates about the health

risks associated with using such devices. For instance, from March 31, 2019, to February 18,

2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that more than 2,807 lung

injury cases associated with the use of electronic cigarettes has been reported. Furthermore, to

date, there are now 68 deaths associated with electronic cigarette use confirmed across 29 states

(Centers for Disease Control, 2020). These growing concerns related to the use of electronic

cigarettes has resulted in the CDC stating that “the use of electronic cigarettes, or vaping, prod-

ucts is unsafe for all ages.”

Electronic cigarettes, more commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, were introduced to the

greater United States by the mid-2000s. When it comes to defining what society means by an

1Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA

Corresponding Author:

Gregory C. Rocheleau, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Ball State University, 2000 W. University

Avenue, Muncie, IN 47306-0455, USA.

Email: gcrocheleau@bsu.edu

921351JODXXX10.1177/0022042620921351Journal of Drug IssuesRocheleau et al.

research-article2020

Rocheleau et al. 473

“e-cigarette,” there are multiple conceptual definitions, including electronic nicotine delivery

system (ENDS), nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and nicotine vaping products (NVPs;

Gravely et al., 2019; Prochaska, 2019; Wilson et al., 2019). The terms “vaping” and “e-ciga-

rettes” are often used interchangeably, with the difference being simply the particular design and

function of the device. Overall, the e-cigarette market has seen significant growth since 2010.

According to Herzog and Kanada (2018), the U.S. market for e-cigarettes is expected to be

US$5.5 billion.

Peer e-cigarette use and personal perceptions of harm of e-cigarettes have been reported to

relate to the use of e-cigarettes (see Perikleous et al., 2018, for review). Previous research, how-

ever, has generally characterized these as individual risk factors and has largely failed to consider

how peers and perceptions may relate to e-cigarette use within broader theoretical frameworks.

One criminological theory that is especially relevant to studying how peers may affect deviant

behavior is social learning theory (Akers, 1977; Burgess & Akers, 1966), which argues that devi-

ant peer associations can affect one’s definitions and imitations of deviant behavior, which, in

turn, can affect the anticipation of rewards and punishments and eventually one’s own involve-

ment in crime or deviance. In addition, research on other forms of substance use among youth,

such as smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, and using marijuana, has identified different profiles

of users with different reasons for use (Coffman et al., 2007; Dutra et al., 2017; Patrick et al.,

2016). Although different types of e-cigarette users have been similarly identified (Evans-Polce

et al., 2018), research has yet to consider whether the underlying theoretical mechanisms explain

e-cigarette use similarly across the distinct types of users.

Using data from high school seniors from the 2016 Monitoring the Future (MTF) Study (N =

2,100), and a subsample of youth who are classified as a type of vaper (n = 523), this study

examines the extent to which peer e-cigarette use and risk perceptions of e-cigarettes relate to

personal e-cigarette use. Framed within a social learning perspective, this study builds on prior

research by examining whether perceptions of e-cigarettes mediate the relationships between

peer e-cigarette use and personal e-cigarette use. Furthermore, this study also considers the extent

to which such social learning mechanisms are consistent across different types of e-cigarette

users, such as those who use to reduce or replace smoking cigarettes, those who use for experi-

mentation, and those who use for entertainment and taste.

E-Cigarette Use Among Youth

The use of e-cigarettes among youth has become an increasing concern for parents, schools,

health care professionals, and academics across the United States. This is in large part due to the

growth in advertising and usage of vaping products (Duke et al., 2014; Mantey et al., 2016;

Thrasher et al., 2016). Since the initial release of the vaping and e-cigarette products to the pub-

lic, rates of use have continued to rise in the United States and other Western countries (H. J. Cho

et al., 2017; Dutra & Glantz, 2017; Hammond et al., 2019; Johnston et al., 2019). With respect to

current estimates, a national study looking at the prevalence of vaping among youth in 2018 has

reported that approximately one third of U.S. youth in Grades 8 through 12 have vaped at some

point in their lives, and nearly 20% have vaped in the past 30 days (Johnston et al., 2019). Recent

research asking specifically about the prevalence of e-cigarette use finds similar rates of ever and

past 30-day use among youth across the United States (Barrington-Trimis et al., 2015; Owusu

et al., 2017; Saddleson et al., 2015; Westling et al., 2017).

Some research suggests that there are different types of individuals who vape or use e-ciga-

rettes based on self-reported reasons for usage. Using MTF data, a nationally representative

sample of youth in the United States, Evans-Polce et al. (2018) examined whether there were

different subgroups of vapers. Results from their latent class analyses identified three distinct

classes of youth who vape: those who vape for taste and entertainment, those who vape to