Department of Psychology, University of Castilla_La Mancha, School of Medicine, Albacete, Spain.
Department of Psychology, University of Castilla_La Mancha, School of Education, Albacete, Spain.
Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2021 Apr;26(2):531-543. doi: 10.1177/1359104521994637. Epub 2021 Feb 19.
Cannabis is the most widely used psychoactive substance among adolescents worldwide, and the age at which consumption begins to decrease. Cannabis use in adolescents is associated with a wide range of adverse consequences in adulthood including increased vulnerability to psychosis and other mental disorders, as well as suicidal ideation and attempt. The aim of this study is to extend understanding of the link between cannabis use and mental illness by examining whether cannabis use at early ages predicts transdiagnostic variables that are precursors to severe clinical diagnoses.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample was made up of 605 adolescents from 7th to 9th grades, with a mean age of 13.2 years ( = 1.0, 47% girls). The variables evaluated were: anomalous perception of reality, intolerance of uncertainty, rumination, suicide attempt, hopelessness, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The administration of the questionnaires was carried out in groups of 20 participants under the supervision of a researcher in a unique session of 1 hour.
Adolescent cannabis users scored higher on all variables assessed: anomalous perception of reality (Cohen's = .60), rumination ( = .48), intolerance of uncertainty ( = .11), suicidal attempt (affirmative answer: 25.9% of users vs 7.7% of non-users), hopelessness ( = .85), symptoms of depression ( = .80), and anxiety ( = .39). A binary logistic regression showed that the only variable uniquely related to cannabis use was hopelessness (Wald = 4.560, OR: 1.159, = .033).
Among some mental health risk factors, hopelessness appears uniquely related to cannabis use. Adolescents may use cannabis as a coping strategy for negative thoughts and emotions, or it may be a consequence of cannabis use. Future prevention programs should focus on preventing/treating modifiable factors such as hopelessness, and delaying cannabis use in specific subgroups of adolescents who experience pathologies such as depression or suicide attempts.
大麻是全世界青少年使用最广泛的精神活性物质，也是开始减少使用的年龄。青少年使用大麻与成年后出现广泛的不良后果有关，包括增加患精神病和其他精神障碍、自杀意念和自杀企图的风险。本研究旨在通过研究大麻在早期使用是否预测严重临床诊断的前驱的跨诊断变量，来进一步了解大麻使用与精神疾病之间的联系。
进行了一项描述性的横断面研究。该样本由来自 7 至 9 年级的 605 名青少年组成，平均年龄为 13.2 岁（ = 1.0，47%为女孩）。评估的变量包括：现实感知异常、无法容忍不确定性、反刍思维、自杀企图、绝望和抑郁及焦虑症状。在研究人员的监督下，将 20 名参与者分成一组进行问卷调查，在 1 小时的单独会议中完成。
青少年大麻使用者在所有评估变量上的得分都更高：现实感知异常（Cohen's = .60）、反刍思维（ = .48）、无法容忍不确定性（ = .11）、自杀企图（肯定回答：25.9%的使用者与 7.7%的非使用者）、绝望（ = .85）、抑郁症状（ = .80）和焦虑（ = .39）。二元逻辑回归显示，唯一与大麻使用相关的变量是绝望（Wald = 4.560，OR：1.159， = .033）。
在一些心理健康风险因素中，绝望似乎与大麻使用有独特的关系。青少年可能会将大麻作为应对消极想法和情绪的一种策略，或者这可能是大麻使用的结果。未来的预防计划应侧重于预防/治疗可改变的因素，如绝望，并在经历抑郁或自杀企图等疾病的特定青少年亚组中延迟大麻使用。
