A STUDY OF INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PERSONS USING ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES

The article presents the results of a study of individual psychological characteristics of persons using electronic cigarettes. The sample included 36 men and 24 women aged 18 to 25 years, including individuals using electronic cigarettes (n = 20), individuals using traditional cigarettes (n = 20), and non-smokers (n = 20). The following methods were used: “Questionnaire of Addictive Tendency” by V. V. Yusupov, V. A. Korzunin, test questionnaire by G. Shmishek, K. Leonhard (method of “Accentuation of Personality Character and Temperament” adapted by Yu. V. Kortnev), test for determining the degree of suggestibility by V. V. Delarue, S. V. Klauchek (adapted by E. Merzlyakova), gender role questionnaire by S. Bem, study of locus of control by J. Rotter, test for determining the level of self-esteem by S. V. Kovalev. Statistical processing of the data was carried out using Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Statistically significant differences in the individual psychological characteristics of participants in the experimental group, comparison group and control group were found on the scales “Demonstrativeness” and “Self-esteem”. The combination of a tendency to addictive behavior and demonstrative accentuation with a predominance of egocentric traits in the experimental group determines the choice of an electronic cigarette as a “fashionable” gadget that attracts attention, and thus compensates for negative emotions associated with intrapersonal conflicts.