Scoppetta Orlando, Cardozo Francisco, Brown Eric C, Morales Vanessa
Corporación Nuevos Rumbos, Bogotá, Colombia.
Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, 5452 University of Miami , Miami, FL, USA.
Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2025 Jan 31;37(1):1-9. doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2024-0167. eCollection 2025 Feb 1.
This study aimed to examine the relationship between marijuana use and aggression and victimization among Colombian adolescents. We aimed to clarify marijuana's distinct role by comparing different categories of drug use and by considering the order of drug initiation.
We conducted a secondary analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional data collected from Colombian adolescents in 2016. The original sample included 80,018 students in Grades 7 to 11. Participants were categorized into marijuana-use groups - EXCLUSIVE (marijuana only), INITIAL (marijuana use before other drugs), and SUBSEQUENT (marijuana use following other drugs) - and non-marijuana-use groups - NON-DRUG (no use), ONE-DRUG (one other drug only), and MULTIPLE-DRUG (two or more other drugs).Aggressive behaviors (individual aggression, group aggression, harassment) and victimization were assessed based on self-reported involvement in the past 12 months. Logistic regression models examined associations between marijuana use patterns and these outcomes, controlling for sex, age, parental education, and grade repetition. For the SUBSEQUENT group, the total number of other drugs used was also controlled.
Adolescents with no drug use had the lowest rates of all aggressive behaviors and victimization. As drug use increased, so did the prevalence of these outcomes, with MULTIPLE-DRUG users exhibiting the highest levels. Compared to NON-DRUG adolescents, each marijuana-use group (EXCLUSIVE, INITIAL, SUBSEQUENT) showed increased odds of some forms of aggression and victimization. For example, EXCLUSIVE users had higher odds of aggression compared to NON-DRUG users. However, the magnitude of these associations differed when comparing marijuana-use groups against each other and against ONE-DRUG and MULTIPLE-DRUG groups. INITIAL and SUBSEQUENT users often demonstrated greater odds of aggression than EXCLUSIVE users, suggesting that polydrug involvement and the sequence of drug initiation matter.
These findings underscore the importance of moving beyond binary classifications of marijuana use when examining aggression and victimization among adolescents. Marijuana use is associated with an increased risk of aggression and victimization, but other substance use patterns and the temporal order of drug initiation influence this relationship. Policymakers, educators, and clinicians should consider these when designing preventive interventions. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and incorporate additional contextual variables to further clarify the mechanisms linking marijuana use to aggression and victimization.
本研究旨在探讨哥伦比亚青少年中使用大麻与攻击行为及受侵害情况之间的关系。我们旨在通过比较不同类别的药物使用情况以及考虑药物起始顺序来阐明大麻的独特作用。
我们对2016年从哥伦比亚青少年中收集的具有全国代表性的横断面数据进行了二次分析。原始样本包括80,018名7至11年级的学生。参与者被分为大麻使用组——单纯使用组（仅使用大麻）、起始使用组（在使用其他药物之前使用大麻）和后续使用组（在使用其他药物之后使用大麻）——以及非大麻使用组——非药物使用组（不使用任何药物）、单一药物使用组（仅使用一种其他药物）和多种药物使用组（使用两种或更多其他药物）。基于自我报告的过去12个月内的参与情况评估攻击行为（个体攻击、群体攻击、骚扰）和受侵害情况。逻辑回归模型检验了大麻使用模式与这些结果之间的关联，并控制了性别、年龄、父母教育程度和留级情况。对于后续使用组，还控制了使用的其他药物的总数。
未使用任何药物的青少年所有攻击行为和受侵害情况的发生率最低。随着药物使用的增加，这些结果的患病率也随之增加，多种药物使用组的水平最高。与非药物使用青少年相比，每个大麻使用组（单纯使用组、起始使用组、后续使用组）某些形式的攻击行为和受侵害情况的几率都有所增加。例如，单纯使用组的攻击几率高于非药物使用组。然而，在将大麻使用组相互比较以及与单一药物使用组和多种药物使用组进行比较时，这些关联的程度有所不同。起始使用组和后续使用组的攻击几率通常比单纯使用组更高，这表明多药使用和药物起始顺序很重要。
这些发现强调了在研究青少年的攻击行为和受侵害情况时，超越对大麻使用的二元分类的重要性。使用大麻与攻击行为和受侵害风险增加有关，但其他物质使用模式和药物起始的时间顺序会影响这种关系。政策制定者、教育工作者和临床医生在设计预防干预措施时应考虑这些因素。未来的研究应采用纵向设计并纳入更多背景变量，以进一步阐明将大麻使用与攻击行为及受侵害情况联系起来的机制。
