Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40919076›Full record

ArticleTobacco use insights2025

The Co-occurrence of Loneliness and Nicotine Use Among German Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Stephanie Klosterhalfen, Julia Hansen, Reiner Hanewinkel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Tobacco use insights, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Stephanie KlosterhalfenInstitute of General Practice (ifam), Centre for Health and Society (chs), Addiction Research, and Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich, Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1175-898X
Julia HansenInstitute for Therapy and Health Research, IFT-Nord, Kiel, Germany.
Reiner HanewinkelInstitute for Therapy and Health Research, IFT-Nord, Kiel, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Loneliness, a feeling of inadequate social relationships, is associated with behavioural health issues. This study examines the co-occurrence of loneliness and nicotine use (e-cigarettes, cigarettes and waterpipe (WP)) among adolescents aged 9-17 years in Germany. Methods: Data were derived from the eighth wave of the "Präventionsradar", an annual school-based survey in Germany. The sample included 23 009 adolescents aged 9-17 years, from 107 schools and 1449 classes, who completed online questionnaires between November 2023 and February 2024. Prevalence rates and multilevel logistic regression models were used to assess associations between loneliness, measured using the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, and current nicotine use, adjusting for covariates (age, gender, social status, sensation seeking, school type). Results: Loneliness was reported by 31.5% of adolescents. It was associated with current cigarette use (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.43-2.02), e-cigarette use (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.38-1.83), WP use (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.25-2.13), and any nicotine product use (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.39-1.80). Early adolescents (11- to 14-year-olds) experiencing loneliness showed a higher risk of WP use (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.16-3.13) and nicotine use (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.07-1.80) compared to middle adolescents (15- to 17-year-olds). Conclusions: Loneliness is prevalent and significantly linked to nicotine use among German adolescents, highlighting the need to address social factors in nicotine prevention efforts. The cross-sectional design limits causal inference.

Indexed as

Germanylonelinessnicotinesmokingyouth

Identifiers

PMID40919076
PMCPMC12409023

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.