How stress at different levels affects young adults' smoking and vaping
Official title: Multilevel stress influences on longitudinal trajectories of tobacco use among young adults throughout the US
Funded at University of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr · NIH-11362790 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how life stress, mental-health symptoms, and social pressures relate to smoking, vaping, and using multiple tobacco products among young adults across the U.S.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oklahoma City, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $412,175 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA059480-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11362790 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young adults (late teens through twenties) who currently use cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, or multiple tobacco products, or who experience high stress or mental-health symptoms.
✕Less likely to help
People who are outside the young adult age range or who never use tobacco products are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
This research follows young adults over time using periodic surveys and real-time phone prompts (ecological momentary assessment) to track smoking, vaping, and use of multiple tobacco products alongside stress and mental health. It examines personal, interpersonal, and neighborhood-level stressors to see how they relate to starting, increasing, or switching tobacco products, and whether tobacco use and stress influence each other. The team recruits participants from areas with different access to tobacco-cessation services to understand geographic differences. Results aim to identify specific moments and groups who might benefit from tailored support to prevent escalation or help quit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help pinpoint who is most at risk and when, so prevention and quitting support can be better timed and targeted for young adults.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked stress and tobacco use but mostly for single products or one-way effects, so using longitudinal and real-time methods to capture bidirectional, polytobacco patterns is more novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr
Oklahoma City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Romm, Katelyn — University of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr
- Study coordinator: Romm, Katelyn
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.