Rejection, Bullying Drive Higher LGBTQ+ Youth Vaping Rates

Stigma, bullying and rejection are the likely reasons why LGBTQ+ teens and young adults vape more than their peers, a new evidence review says.

Nearly 22% of gay or lesbian and 18% of bisexual young people vape, compared to less than 15% of their heterosexual peers, researchers said.

But it’s not their sexual or gender identity that drives them to use e-cigarettes, researchers argue in the journal Prevention Science.

Instead, social and community factors are making LGBTQ+ young people more vulnerable to vaping and nicotine addiction, researchers said.

“The stigma and discrimination associated with identifying as a sexual or gender minority elevates psychological distress and contributes to negative coping behaviors like vaping,” lead researcher Dr. Omolayo Anjorin said in a news release. She’s a PhD in student in public health at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

In the new review, researchers evaluated data from previous studies investigating vaping among young people, including those of a sexual or gender minority.

Results showed that LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of bullying, rejection and violence, and also tend to be treated as minorities within their own families.

As a result, LGBTQ+ youth turn to vaping as a way to relieve their stress and cope with feelings of isolation and rejection, researchers said.

Vaping also has become more normalized among LGBTQ+ young people, with some taking up the behavior to feel a sense of belonging or acceptance, researchers said.

These factors will need to be addressed if public health officials want to lower rates of vaping among U.S. teens, researchers said.

“Effective prevention requires moving beyond universal approaches, toward targeted interventions that address the underlying factors specifically affecting LGBTQ+ youth,” Anjorin said.

The study recommended steps like:

• Encouraging families to support the sexual and gender identity of teens and young adults

• Enlisting LGBTQ+ organizations to promote anti-vaping messages

• Promoting inclusive school activities

• Providing access to gender-affirming healthcare

“By identifying unique risk and protective factors for vaping among LGBTQ+ youth, and the mechanisms by which they increase risk, the findings will help the successful adaptation of evidence-based preventive interventions to reduce vaping in this vulnerable group,” senior researcher Kenneth Griffin said in a news release. He is a professor of public health at George Mason University.

More information

The Truth Initiative has more on smoking and vaping among LGBTQ+ young people.

SOURCES: George Mason University, news release, May 19, 2026; Prevention Science, March 29, 2026