Harm Perceptions and Mental Health in Transgender Adults Who Smoke Menthol Cigarettes
Author Information
Author(s): Nichelle Brown, Heesung Shin, Sabrina L. Smiley, Teresa W. Wang
Primary Institution: San Diego State University
Hypothesis
What are the associations between gender identity, harm perceptions of cigarettes, mental health experiences, and quality of life among transgender and cisgender individuals who smoke menthol cigarettes?
Conclusion
Transgender adults who smoke menthol cigarettes are less likely to perceive smoking as harmful and more likely to report depression compared to cisgender adults.
Supporting Evidence
- Transgender respondents were significantly less likely to perceive cigarettes as harmful (77.44% vs. 98.13%).
- 54.26% of transgender respondents reported feeling depressed in the past month compared to 23.38% of cisgender respondents.
- 90.69% of transgender adults had an annual household income of less than USD 50,000.
Takeaway
This study found that transgender people who smoke menthol cigarettes think smoking is less harmful and feel sad more often than cisgender people who smoke menthol cigarettes.
Methodology
Data were drawn from Wave 5 of the PATH Study, analyzing responses from 3989 cisgender and transgender adults who reported current menthol cigarette use.
Potential Biases
Self-reporting may introduce bias, and the small sample size of transgender individuals limits subgroup analyses.
Limitations
The small sample size of transgender participants limits generalizability, and data were self-reported without biochemical verification.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 3989 adults, predominantly non-Hispanic/Latine White, with a mean age of 40.5 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.01
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 0.02–0.28 for harm perceptions; 95% CI: 1.36–15.33 for depression.
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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