Episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting among persons who use e-cigarettes.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Rising rates of e-cigarette dependence among young adults.
• Existing cognitive interventions like EFT show success in reducing cigarette use.
• Limited research on EFT's effectiveness for e-cigarette users.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of a brief episodic future thinking (EFT) intervention.
• To assess EFT's impact on delay discounting and vaping choices in young adults.
• To determine if EFT can help reduce e-cigarette dependence.

Main Methods:

• Within-subjects experimental design administered remotely via Zoom.
• Participants engaged in either EFT or a control condition (standardized episodic thinking).
• Measures included craving, mood, and delay discounting for money, e-cigarettes, and food, plus a vaping vs. money choice task.

Main Results:

• EFT significantly decreased monetary delay discounting compared to the control condition.
• No significant effects were observed on craving or mood.
• A trend towards increased abstinence in the vaping vs. money choice task after EFT was not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• EFT may be a viable tool for reducing delay discounting in young adult e-cigarette users.
• Further research is necessary to establish EFT's efficacy for e-cigarette cessation.
• Virtual delivery of experimental research on e-cigarette use is feasible.