Analyzing Vaping, Smoking, and Psychological Stress: A Research Report

This report investigates the impact of vaping, smoking, and their relationship with psychological stress. It begins with an introduction highlighting the increasing prevalence of smoking and vaping among young people, linking them to stress relief and the associated health risks like lung cancer, heart disease, and various other diseases. The report explores the consumption of nicotine through vaping and its effects, including increased blood pressure and narrowed blood vessels. It examines the shift from smoking to vaping, driven by perceptions of reduced harm and appealing flavors. The report then delves into why people engage in risky behaviors, including addiction and peer pressure, and examines the theories related to risk perception. The research aims to analyze the knowledge individuals have towards vaping and e-cigarettes and their health impacts, the impact of personality traits on vaping initiation, theories related to risk perception and people behavior towards risk, and the various diseases that can be caused. The report includes a literature review, research methodology, analysis, results, and conclusions with recommendations. The study aims to understand the impact of messages about scientific uncertainty regarding the health effects of vaping on risk perception related to psychological stress.

Assessment

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION-..........................................................................................................................2
Research aim................................................................................................................................5
Research objectives.....................................................................................................................5
Research questions.......................................................................................................................5
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................7
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................12
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION.................................................................................................16
RESULTS AND FINDINGS.........................................................................................................28
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION-...........................................................................30
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................33
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Research topic: Vaping, smoking and psychological stress.
INTRODUCTION-
In recent times, many youngsters and people are smoking cigarettes. This has led to rise in
disease and death of people who are smoking. It has become a trend for youngsters as there is
shift in their lifestyle. They do this in order to feel relax, stress free, etc. It has highly impacted
on their physical as well as mental health. Along with that, in order to remain stress free people,
do smoke. However, it has been found that smoking can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia,
emphysema and lung cancer. Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of
deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to health
and various types of diseases can be faced by those who are engaged in doing regular smoking
(McEvoy and Spindel, 2017). So, in order to enhance the health outcome, it is suggested that one
should be involved in stop using these items. It is one of the major cause for cancer and also the
person who is been involved in smoking cigars on regular basis can also face other problem likes
psychological stress. This can reduce down health outcome of an individual and it can severely
affect the health and well-being of an individual. When someone smokes, the poisons from the
tar in the cigarettes enter the blood. These poisons in the blood then increase the risk of dying
from coronary heart disease. It also increases the rate of blood pressure and the heart rate also
starts increasing. It has also been analysed that person who are engaged in smoking their blood
circulatory level also reduces down (Heckman, Humphries and Veramendi, 2018). But in present
times there is change in need of people. Now they are focusing on vamping because they think
that there is less harm as it does not contain nicotine. Thus, there is increase in consumption of
vamping rather than smoking. However, impact on both on health is same as there is no
difference in it. E-cigarettes and E cigars are ways of doing vamping. It is having a negative
impact on their health. It has also been evaluated that vaping can also cause nausea, vomiting and
pain in abdominal. It can also become main reason for development of other problems like
respiratory and heart related (Dinardo & Rome, (2019).
Consumption of nicotine (through vaping) It has been analysed that there are so many
individuals who have been involved in vaping. Not many of the people realise that they are
consuming nicotine through E-cigars. They have been acting as nicotine delivering devices that
can affect an individual’s health. It has been analysed that through vaping an individual can
consume at least 15.4 mg nicotine. Nicotine can increase the signalling activity in brain when the
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people consume it. There are various health related problems that can be faced by individuals
through vaping. It has been analysed that because of vaping an individual can face problem
related to increase in blood pressure and narrowing down of blood vessels (Rouabhia, (2020).
Why people are switching from smoking to vaping? Most of the people now a day has
been shifting to vaping as they feel like that in E-cigars no tobacco is been added but they have
no idea or knowledge that they are consuming nicotine through it. They have been switching to
vape because of the great flavour and low cost of E-cigars and even these devices can be used by
them again and again through charging it (Miech et.al., (2019). These devices are also being said
to be safe to used. It can reduce down the potential of stroke and other heart related problems
that can be caused because of smoking normal cigars.
Change in people's health behaviour.
How people assess risk? Why people do certain behaviour even when they know the risk of
it?
When people start smoking it can become an addiction for them. It has been analysed that
when they vape it consists of Nicotine which is shaped similarly to a neurotransmitter called
acetylcholine (Tucker et.al., (2016). It can mimic it when they absorb nicotine into the body. It
realises happy hormones that can reduce down the psychological stress faced by individuals so it
is really hard to stop people from smoke when they have started. All individuals know about the
risk of smoking but some people take it casually and they can be involved in smoking in order to
look cool or also because of peer pressure.
Theories related to risk perception
Social action theory has many applications, but when it comes to risk, this theory states
that people take risks because of peer pressure or a general community. It has been analyzed that
most of the people are been involved in vaping or smoking because their friends or even peer are
doing that (Junqueira et.al., (2020). This is their perceived social behavior towards risk. There
are various negative consequences of theory as individual can be involved in doing high amount
of wrong doing by coming in pressure or it might look better in their community
People's behaviour to risk perception
It has also been analysed that the smokers are also vulnerable towards the risk of getting
COVID-19. People has a casual behaviour towards the risk. They find vaping cool and they feel
like it increases their public image. Most of the time people are been involved in smoking and
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vaping because of peer pressure or even because of the stress as through vaping happy hormones
are been released (Henry, Kanne and Kligerman, 2019). Also smoking and vaping are quiet
addictive. It can also cause various type of behavioural changes such as headache and
breathlessness. It increases the chances of narrowing down arteries and also clot can be formed.
It has also been analysed that smoking can also increase the heart related problem. In this the
individual can suffer from coronary heart disease and they can also suffer from other heart
related problems such as heart stroke (Nocella et.al., (2018). This can reduce down the quality of
life of individual and also because of this they can become more depressed. Other chemicals in
cigarette smoke damage the lining of the coronary arteries, leading to furring of the arteries. It
has also been analysed that there are various factors because of which individual starts smoking
and vaping. The one main reason is peer pressure, it has been analysed that children in early
childhood start smoking because of the peer pressure and also they thinking that smoking can
make them look cooler (Polosa et.al., (2017). They have no knowledge related to ill effects of
smoking so that’s why children get engaged in these types of activities. It has also been analysed
that smoking can also cause problems in lungs. It can be main reason for coughing and
wheezing. Individual can also face problem of asthma when they have been involved in smoking
on regular basis. This can also increase their psychological stress and there are chances that the
individual can also become depressed and anxious because of facing these types of problem. It
has also been analysed that one of the reason for smoking can also be stress. Mostly people who
are in stress are been involved in using cigarettes or e-cigarettes (Mendez & Warner, (2020).
They have no knowledge related to that individual quality of life decreases because of smoking.
It has also been analysed that smoking also doubles the risk of heart disease. Smokers also have
the chance of getting stomach and lung cancer. They can also get the life time problems related
to heart reducing down their quality of life (Harris, Zopey and Friedman, 2016).
This can increase psychological stress in an individual and makes them more vulnerable. So
it has been suggested by health care professionals that the person need not be involved in
smoking so that they can live a better and peaceful life. It has also been analysed that the person
who regularly smokes can also face other problem like COPD (Mendez & Warner, (2020). In
order to reduce down the effect of this disease, the patient needs to be engaged in stop smoking
by taking their time. Smoking and vaping also causes unattractive mouth and throat problem. In
this individual can suffer from bad breath and stained teeth. This can make an individual looks
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unattractive and also because of this they can face psychological stress. It has also been analysed
that smoking and vaping can affect individual’s quality of life and their health well-being can
also be reduced. It has also been analysed that smoking can also risk patient in developing cancer
in kidneys. They can also face further problem related to kidneys which can make the individual
more vulnerable and also their health outcome can be reduced when they have been involved in
smoking cigars (Glantz and Bareham, 2018). It has also been analysed that the pregnant women
also do not need to be engaged in smoking as this can cause problems to themselves and also to
the child. It has been analysed that because of this the child can grow disabled or can also face
many health related problems. It has also been analysed that person who are engaged in smoking
their blood circulatory level also reduces down. It increases the chances of narrowing down
arteries and also clot can be formed (Walley et.al., (2019). Present report will lay emphasis on
the methods that has been used for collecting the data related to subject matter. It will also lay
focus on discussion and findings related to topic.
Research aim
The aim of the present study was to understand the impact of messages about scientific
uncertainty regarding the health effects of vaping on risk perception related to psychological
stress.
Research objectives
 To analyse whether the individual have complete knowledge towards vaping and e-
cigarettes and their ill effects on health
 To analyse the impact of big five personality trait on E-cigars and vamping initiation.
 To evaluate the theories related to risk perception and people behaviour towards risk of
vaping
 To analyse the various diseases that can be caused while smoking cigarettes or E-
cigarettes.
Research questions
 Do you think that the individual has complete knowledge towards vaping and e-cigarettes
and their ill effects on health?
 What is the impact of big five personality trait on E-cigars and vaping initiation?
 What are the behavioural intentions of the individuals towards e-cigarettes?
 What are the various diseases that can be caused while smoking cigarettes or E-cigarettes?
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Research hypothesis
 Whether complete knowledge about cigarette and e cigarette affect smoking and vaping
 Does personality affect behaviour.
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 LITERATURE REVIEW
Theme 1: individual have complete knowledge towards vaping and e-cigarettes and their ill
effects on health
As per the view of Butt and et.al., (2019) has been analysed that there are so many
individuals who have been involved in vaping. Not many of the people realise that they are
consuming nicotine through E-cigars. They have been acting as nicotine delivering devices that
can affect an individual’s health. It has also been analysed that Mostly people who are in stress
are been involved in using cigarettes or e-cigarettes. It is also presumed that do not have
knowledge related to that individual quality of life decreases because of smoking. It has also
been analysed that smoking also doubles the risk of heart disease. Smokers also have the chance
of getting stomach and lung cancer. It has also been analysed that people do not have complete
knowledge towards ill effects of vaping and also they do not know that it produces nicotine. It
has also been analysed that some people are been involved in vaping because as E-cigars
produces happy hormones. It has also been evaluated that people also don’t know about the
disease that can because of smoking. Evidence has provided that they have no knowledge related
to ill effects of smoking so that’s why children gets engaged in these type of activities. It has also
been analysed that smoking can also cause problems in lungs. It has also been analysed that most
of the people start vaping because of great flavour and also these are available at low cost that
intends them to purchase it. It is being suggested that individuals need to possess complete
knowledge towards vaping so that they can stop making use of it. It has also been analysed that
people believe that low tar cigars such as E-cigars are less likely to provide harm. It has been
analysed that even E-cigars can cause number of problems such as narrowing down of blood
vessels. It can also become a reason for having heart stroke and their brain might start
functioning low (Carlos and et.al., 2019). So all these problems caused by E-cigars, the
individual who is smoking must need to have an idea about it.
This can assist them in reducing them use of E-cigars and they will be not being engaged in
vaping any more that will be quiet beneficial for their health. It has also been analysed that
vaping regularly can also increase the risk of getting respiratory disease and they can also face
problem like breathlessness and headache. This can reduce down their health outcome. The aim
of this study was to provide and analyse the impact of vaping on health aspects of an individual
including the risk perception. However, it has been analysed that individual possess really little
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knowledge towards the ill effects of vaping and E-cigars. It has also been evaluated that lack of
knowledge can be because of less advertising and also can be because of cultural and social
stigma. The use of tobacco can have negative impact on health of public and it can be major
reason for development of various diseases such as coronary heart disease. It has also been
evaluated that vaping can also cause nausea, vomiting and pain in abdominal. Teenagers and
young adults also start vaping mainly because of their friends or even there are chances that they
see their parents following the same patterns. It has been analysed that this has huge impact on
health aspects of individuals and also some of the people are also motivated by seeing these
activities on television and even on online games in which they are engaged in playing. They do
not have complete knowledge about vaping devices but they consider it as cool. It has also been
analysed that those who start vaping in younger age are tend to develop addiction towards it and
afterwards it is really hard for them to leave it. They become addictive as nicotine reaches out the
brain and reduce down unpleasant feeling which has been faced by an individual. It has also been
analysed that some people are been engaged in smoking because of the psychological stress, they
are facing in their lives. This can reduce down their health outcome and they can also face
various disease if they are continuously engaged in vaping.
Theme 2: analyse the impact of big five personality trait on E-cigars and vamping initiation.
In the opinion of Schauer and et.al., (2016) personality trait is been linked to smoking and
vaping. Author has analysed that there can be changes in personality which can be seen in people
who smokes or vapes. In comparison to non-smokers, the people who smoke are more likely to
be aggressive and become conscious over time. It has been analysed from the theory that
currently individual who smokes is higher on Neuroticism and lower on Agreeableness. People
who vapes tends to be moodier and they can also be engaged in doing illegal things. It has been
evaluated that people who are involved in having E-cigars or cigars or even consuming alcohol
can be engaged in doing substance abuse or any other type of illegal activity. This can reduce
down their health aspects. Personality traits are enduring disposition and major determinants of
behavior. It has also been analyzed that some people are been engaged in smoking and vaping
because they think that they look cool while doing it and this aspect look great on their behavior.
They have little knowledge towards ill effects of vaping and E-cigars. They are also being
influenced by celebrities and other famous personas who have been engaged in doing it. Program
based on vaping and smoking prevention are also based on understanding of psychological,
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social, biological, and pharmacological processes. They are being involved in reducing down the
process related to smoking initiation. Vaping initiation program is being related to needs of
individual and are making and implementing various strategies so that the individuals who are
been involved in doing it, stops using E-cigars. In order to follow this perspective, they are being
involved in analyzing individual difference variables, particularly relating to personality traits
which increasers the risk related to vaping E-cigars. In order to reduce down the use of E-cigars
it is really necessary to understand the personality and behavior of an individual. This may
improve interventions and also these programs are being involved in making better policies and
providing personalized treatments to those who have regularly been involved in vaping.
Research has also provided the details that there is less difference in personality of those who
smoke and those who not. It has also been evaluated and provided by author that people who
smoke and vape links it to their status symbol (Nocella et.al., (2018).
They think that it matches their personality aspects. Smokers are being rated low on
agreeableness and high on extra version aspects. They were also low on health related
consciousness and this has increased their risk of getting more vulnerable and ill. It can also have
huge negative impact on their health outcome. It has also been evaluated that it is being related to
high health risk behavior. Author has also provided the information that there has been a weak
relationship between being extraversion and vaping. These are the basically personality traits that
can be seen in people who are regularly engaged in vaping and smoking. It has also been
evaluated that people who smoke have low self-discipline and this is the main reason because of
which they have been involved in doing and following all these patterns that can increase risk
related to their health. Also, they are not having control on their behavior and to remain stress
free they do smoke. Furthermore, in the view of Tucker & et.al., (2016) it is found that there is
another model similar to it which can be applied in it. The DISC model can be used in it which is
divided into 4 personality type. They are dominance, influence, steadiness and compliance. In
dominance it relates to control, power and assertiveness, influence relates to social situation and
communication, steadiness relates to patience and persistence whereas compliance relates to
structure and organisation.
Theme 3: evaluate the theories related to risk perception and people behaviour towards risk of
vaping
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In accordance with Grant and et.al., (2019) individual or groups who are been involved in
vaping and smoking E-cigars has a risk of developing various health related problems. Vaping
can be a major reason for development several diseases such as lung cancer, coronary heart
disease and many more. Social action theory has many applications, but when it comes to risk,
this theory states that people take risks because of peer pressure or a general community. This
theory also lay emphasis on that psychological perception of an individual has an impact on
various decisions which is being taken by them. They can also be engaged in adopting high risk
behavior. Social motivation can shape an individual behavior and after this they tend to adopt
riskier behave. This can be even related to vaping and smoking. According to SAT the peoples
understanding about how others perceive them has a symbolic impact on the actions which are
been taken by them. In this they tend to adopt those behaviors which is being possess by their
society or even family or friends. They will smoke if they find out similar behavior done in their
family or even by their friends. This theory also provides that there are chances that individuals
have no knowledge towards ill effects of vaping. It has also been analyzed that smoking and
vaping has also increased mortality rate because so many people because of these habits are
suffering from various types of disease that has severely affected their health outcome (Abafalvi
and et.al., 2019). People who are engaged in smoking and vaping are also been involved in doing
various illegal activities and they can also become victim of abuse or can even engaged in doing
it. Risk perceptions are also being related to behavioral change.
Classic health behavior theories have laid emphasis on the life style patterns that has been
adopted by an individual or group. The patterns adopted can be risky. There are chances that
people adopt pattern of being engaged in regularly vaping E-cigars. It has been analyses that this
behavior can reduce their health outcome and they can also face various other types of diseases
because of this pattern (Singh and Lippmann, 2018). Most of the time people adopt these life
style changes because of peer pressure or even they can think that it makes their personality
looks better. According to this theory individual needs to take responsibility of their own health.
It has also been analyzed that sometimes they are also being influenced as E-cigars come in low
rate and can be affordable by everyone, also it contains good taste. So this can be reason of
buying it and these items also provide happy feeling when nicotine hits brain. Most of the
individuals do not possess knowledge related to ill effects of vaping. They are doing it without
having full information related to it.
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Psychometric paradigm focus on the roles of affect, emotion, and stigma in influencing
risk perception. People can be engaged in taking risk when they see that high risk is being totally
acceptable in society. They can also take decision to smoke or vape when people from their
society is been involved in doing it. It has also been analyzed that the individual can be engaged
in taking this decision out of psychological stress as E-cigars provide pleasant feelings and
distracts users mind from unpleasant things. All the decisions are being taken by individual out
of no knowledge related to ill effects of vaping. They have no information related to diseases that
can be caused because of vaping and E-cigars. It has also been analyzed that individuals can also
have casual behavior towards health related risk. They are highly been influenced by their
society and friends. This causal behavior can have negative impact on their health outcome and
they can also face several diseases because of it. It can reduce down individuals quality of living.
Theme 4: analyze the various diseases that can be caused while smoking cigarettes or E-
cigarettes.
As stated by Viswam et.al., (2018) smoking of cigars or even E-cigars is leading cause of death
in all over the world. Vaping can be considered as alternative mode of nicotine consumption.
The chemicals and toxins inside E-cigarettes can cause various health related problems.
Someone who is been involved in regular smoking. Evidence has provided that they have no
knowledge related to ill effects of smoking so that’s why children gets engaged in these type of
activities. It has also been analysed that smoking can also cause problems in lungs. It has also
been analysed that most of the people start vaping because of great flavour and also these are
available at low cost that intends them to purchase it. E-cigars may look like traditional cigars,
pens or even in the form of USB flash drives. These vaping devices can be operated through
batteries or can be charged. This is the main reason that more and more people are engaged in
buying these devices as they are of low cost and affordable and there is no need to purchase these
devices again. It has also been analysed that people who vape do not know about they have no
idea that E-cigars do not burn down tobacco. It has also been analysed that this can severely
affect the health aspects and also can reduce their quality of life and well-being. The e-cigarette
heats the liquid chemicals into a vapor or steam that a person inhales, which is why using these is
often called "vaping.". These devices have artificial flavor and nicotine fill inside it. It has also
been analyzed that various disease which can be caused because of vaping includes lung cancer
and heart disease. This is the main reason because of which mortality rate is also increasing.
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