Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul;47(4):421-429.
doi: 10.1002/ab.21951. Epub 2021 Feb 8.

Association between bullying victimization and e-cigarette use among German students

Julia Hansen  1 , Matthis Morgenstern  1 , Barbara Isensee  1 , Artur Galimov  2 , Reiner Hanewinkel  1
Affiliations

Association between bullying victimization and e-cigarette use among German students

Julia Hansen et al. Aggress Behav. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

This study examined the association between bullying victimization and e-cigarette use. Data from a 2019-2020 German student survey were used (N = 16,476). The target population consisted of students enrolled in grades 5-10, with a mean age of 13.1 years (SD = 1.8), and equal gender distribution (49.5% female). Mixed-effect multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between bullying victimization (attacked physically, assaulted verbally, experienced relational bullying, sexual harassment, cyberbullying) and current e-cigarette use. The multivariable analysis controlled for age, sex, sensation-seeking, socioeconomic status, school performance, type of school attended, and substance use (current cigarette smoking, hookah smoking, and alcohol drinking). Overall 510 (3.7%) students reported current use of e-cigarettes. The odds for using e-cigarettes increased each step of being bullied from "never," "rarely," "sometimes," "once a week," to "several times a week" by 2.03 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.81, 2.29) in the unadjusted model, and by 1.46 (95% CI: 1.24, 1.71) in the covariate-adjusted model. Data indicate an empirical association between victimization and e-cigarette use among German students. Design limitations prevent the conclusion of a causal relationship, calling for well-designed longitudinal studies to investigate the temporal sequence between victimization and e-cigarette use.

Keywords: adolescents; bullying; e-cigarette; observational study; victimization.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Allen, C. W., Diamond-Myrsten, S., & Rollins, L. K. (2018). School absenteeism in children and adolescents. American Family Physician, 98(12), 738-744.
    1. Arseneault, L., Bowes, L., & Shakoor, S. (2010). Bullying victimization in youths and mental health problems: 'Much ado about nothing'? Psychological Medicine, 40(5), 717-729. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291709991383
    1. Azagba, S., Mensah, N. A., Shan, L., & Latham, K. (2020). Bullying victimization and e-cigarette use among middle and high school students. Journal of School Health, 90(7), 545-553. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12902
    1. Baiden, P., & Tadeo, S. K. (2019). Examining the association between bullying victimization and prescription drug misuse among adolescents in the United States. Journal of Affective Disorders, 259, 317-324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.08.063
    1. Basile, K. C., Clayton, H. B., DeGue, S., Gilford, J. W., Vagi, K. J., Suarez, N. A., Zwald, M. L., & Lowry, R. (2020). Interpersonal violence victimization among high school students-Youth risk behavior survey, United States, 2019. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Supplements, 69(1), 28-37. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su6901a4

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources