Hazardous drinking is associated with expectancies for the simultaneous use of alcohol and e-cigarettes

Background: Alcohol and tobacco use are especially prevalent among college students, with co-use rates being as high as 59% (Weitzman, 2005). Related adverse health outcomes are further magnified during simultaneous use. Expectancies for substance use are consistently associated with heaviness of use and substance-related consequences. Therefore, the current study examined associations between expectancies for e-cigarette use and heaviness of alcohol use. Methods: College students (N = 362; Mage = 19.32, SD = 0.98, 72% Female) completed psychological measures (i.e. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Nicotine and Other Substance Interaction Expectancies-E-cig Revised (NOSIE-ER). Results: Half (51%) of participants endorsed both lifetime e-cigarette and alcohol use. Of these, 30% use an e-cigarette at least once a month and 62% report hazardous drinking (AUDIT ≥ 8). AUDIT scores were associated with expectancies that drinking increases e-cigarette consumption (r=.29, p \u3c .001), with expectancies that e-cigarette consumption increases drinking (r=.17, p \u3c .05), and with overall expectancies for the simultaneous use of alcohol and e-cigarettes (r=.30, p \u3c.001). Conclusions: Results suggest that as college students engage in more hazardous drinking, they report greater expectancies for simultaneous use of alcohol and e-cigarette. Future studies should use experimental paradigms to test causal links between alcohol and e-cigarette use, especially across individuals with varying degrees of alcohol and nicotine consumption.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_spring2020/1092/thumbnail.jp