Online

Pomichter, Emily

Psychology

2021

M.A.

Specific drug-use expectancies are shaped by reports from others about the effects of the drug, by an individual's own experience with the drug, or by both. The present study hypothesized that, among smokers and e-cigarette users (vapers), an individual's fear of weight gain would be associated with higher endorsement of appetite and weight control expectancies from nicotine use, which in turn would be associated with self-reported levels of nicotine dependence. The participants were smokers (n = 514) and vapers (n = 412) who responded to a Qualtrics survey advertised via Amazon's Mechanical Turk platform. As predicted, nicotine's appetite and weight control expectancies mediated the correlation between fear of gaining weight and nicotine dependence among both smokers and vapers. Exploratory analyses further revealed that smokers who did not vape reported lower nicotine expectancies and nicotine dependence than smokers who also used e-cigarettes. Likewise, exclusive vapers reported lower nicotine expectancies and nicotine dependence than vapers who also smoked cigarettes. Overall, participants classified as primarily smokers reported higher levels of nicotine-outcome expectancies and nicotine dependence than participants classified as primarily vapers. Although the study is cross-sectional, the findings are nonetheless congruent with the hypothesis that weight and body image concerns may facilitate the internalization of appetite and weight control nicotine expectancies and, thus, increase the risk for nicotine dependence.