Abstract
<p>OBJECTIVES: Disclosure of sexual orientation, prevalence of depression, and e-cigarette use all peak in adolescence. There is a complex interplay of factors that are rooted in the family system which have a drastic effect on adverse health behaviors in Hispanic Sexual Minority Youth (HSMY). This study will examine e-cigarette use among HSMY, examining the role of depressive symptoms in mediating sexual orientation and e-cigarette use, and of family support of sexual orientation in moderating the effect of depressive symptoms on e-cigarette use. </p><p><span style="font-size: 1.125rem;">METHODS: This secondary data analysis utilized data from an ongoing randomized controlled trial. The sample included 231 adolescents between 12-16 years of age (mean age=13.84; SD=1.38; 51.5% female), and their caregivers (mean age=43.04; SD=6.55; 93.3% female). Analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between sexual orientation and e-cigarette use (2) the association between sexual orientation and e-cigarette use and (3) the moderated mediation of adolescent depressive symptoms and parent support on the relationship between sexual orientation and lifetime e-cigarette use.</span>
</p><p><span style="font-size: 1.125rem;">RESULTS: The proportion of e-cigarette users was significantly larger in the HSMY group compared to non-HSMY (31.9% vs. 12.3%), and the mean of depressive symptoms (M = 40.95, SD = 13.12) were higher in the HSMY sample relative to non-HSMY. In bivariate analysis, sexual orientation was significantly associated with lifetime e-cigarette use (OR=3.36, 95% CI=1.53, 7.38). The moderated mediation effects show that depressive symptoms were significantly related to e-cigarette use, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">β</span><span style="font-size: 1.125rem;"> = .282 ([95% Confidence Interval ([0.18, 0.39]), and sexual orientation was significantly related to depression, (</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">β</span><span style="font-size: 1.125rem;"> = .207; [0.04, 0.34]). However, parent support did not moderate the direct or indirect effect of sexual orientation. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 1.125rem;">CONCLUSIONS: Given the association between sexual orientation and lifetime e-cigarette use in Hispanic adolescents, further research is needed to examine the mechanisms which may be more salient in predicting e-cigarette use in HSMY. There may be factors specific to Hispanic families beyond anticipated parent support of youth’s sexual orientation that are influencing HSMY’s e-cigarette use. It may be that culturally-specific factors, and sexual minority stressors are the mechanisms by which HSMY use e-cigarettes.</span></p>