Assessing the Mediating and Moderating Role of Negative Feelings in the Relationship of Vaping and Physical Aggression of E-Smokers

Abstract

The study examines the impact of vaping on the physical aggression of e-smokers in Pakistani society with mediation and moderation effects. A cross-sectional research design is followed, and 152 e-smokers were recruited from different areas of Pakistan. The data was collected through adapted measures while using the snowball sampling technique with the help of the online survey method. For data analysis, including descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, correlation matrix, mediation and moderation tests, SPSS 25 was used. The test results of the reliability analysis indicated that all the measures have excellent values of Cronbach's alpha. The outcomes of the regression test showed that vaping has a positive and significant impact on the physical aggression of e-smokers, and the presence of the mediating variable (negative feelings) partially mediated this relationship, but negative feelings as a moderator have no direct effect on the link of vaping and physical aggression of e-smokers. This study has proved those negative feelings partially mediated the link between vaping and physical aggression of e-smokers. This research may help the academic researchers, public and private healthcare practitioners and policymakers in the field of psychology.