Preliminary development of the protective behavioral strategies for vaping scale

Exploring factors that may mitigate the harms of e-cigarette use (i.e., vaping) among college students may provide insights for prevention/intervention efforts. Study aims were to develop and conduct initial psychometric analyses on the Protective Behavioral Strategies for Vaping (PBSV) scale to measure strategies that students use before, during, after, and instead of vaping to protect themselves from vaping-related harms.

Students from one U.S. university (n = 277) completed an online survey and provided open-ended reports on things they do to avoid vaping and limit their use while vaping. Responses were used to generate an item pool of 52 strategies. Students from a second sample who vaped in the past year (n = 216) were administered these 52 items. A series of exploratory graph, unique variable, and exploratory factor analyses were used to develop and test the psychometric properties of the PBSV.

The finalized scale contained 39 items, which featured three subscales reflecting manner of use, avoiding use by creating obstacles, and committing to quitting and using supports to quit. The PBSV composite score and each subscale negatively associated with vaping frequency and dependence. Males endorsed significantly lower scores for manner of use than females.

This exploratory and preliminary examination of the PBSV scale's psychometric properties suggests that use of protective strategies for vaping may protect young people from more frequent use and greater dependence. More research with the PBSV scale is encouraged to determine its psychometric properties and potential practical utility as a clinical and assessment tool with young adults.