Correlates of Cannabis Use and Self-Control Across a Diverse Sample of College Students: 2020-2022.

Background: Despite the established relationship between substance use and self-control, it is unknown how the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role in this association. Given the unique circumstances of the pandemic along with changing societal regulations surrounding cannabis use, and their collective impact on college students, there is a need to examine the relationship between cannabis and self-control during the pandemic era. Methods: Data was collected from a repeated cross-sectional sample of college students at a mid-sized, urban U.S. institution during 2020-2022. Logistic and negative binominal regression analyses along with an ANCOVA were conducted to examine associations between self-control and past 30-day cannabis use. Results: Lower self-control was significantly associated with using cannabis in the past 30-days with those individuals with self-reported low self-control using cannabis significantly more and more times per day. Finally, we found that both past 30-day cannabis use and cohort significantly predicted self-control with both individuals who report past 30-day cannabis use and the 2020 cohort reporting lower levels of self-control. There was not a significant interaction effect. Conclusions: Despite evolving legislation regarding both medicinal and recreational cannabis use, colleges often maintain drug-free campus policies. Given high rates of cannabis use among college students and continued development of self-control, this association should be examined longitudinally and considered when creating college-level cannabis policies. Implications for college students surrounding COVID-era environments, and self-control are discussed.

Problematic internet use and suicidality and self-injurious behaviors in adolescents: Effects of negative affectivity and social support.

BACKGROUND: Problematic internet use (PIU) has been shown to be closely associated with suicidality and self-injurious behavior (SSIB), but the mechanism to help explain this association is understudied. The aim of the present study is to test mediating effects of negative affectivity between PIU and SSIB and whether social support moderates this mediating effect. METHODS: A sample of 2173 middle and high school students (Mage = 14.66, SDage = 1.87) in central China were recruited. All participants completed a self-report questionnaire assessing PIU, SSIB, negative affectivity, and social support. Simple mediation analysis and moderated mediation analysis were conducted to examine the roles of negative affectivity and social support in the association between PIU and SSIB. RESULTS: PIU was positively associated with SSIB, and negative affectivity mediated this association (ß = 0.255, Boot 95 % CI: 0.219 to 0.296). The indirect effect of negative affectivity was moderated by social support, with a stronger association between PIU and SSIB for adolescents with lower social support (ß = 0.228, Boot 95 % CI: 0.178 to 0.282) than their counterparts (ß = 0.098, Boot 95 % CI: 0.068 to 0.133). LIMITATION: Cross-sectional design with self-report measures. CONCLUSIONS: PIU is a detrimental risk factor for SSIB, as it is associated with high negative affectivity and increased SSIB, which was more robust for adolescents with lower social support. These results highlight the importance of helping adolescents regulate negative affectivity and improving social support-based preventative interventions to reduce SSIB.

Time Spent on Social Media and Risk of Depression in Adolescents: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.

Adolescent depression is a worldwide public health concern and has contributed to significant socioeconomic burden. Investigating the association between time spent on social media (TSSM) and depression may provide guidance toward the prevention and intervention of adolescent depression. However, related literature reported mixed findings in terms of the relationship between TSSM and depression in adolescents. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive dose−response meta-analysis to clarify this issue. We conducted a systematic title/abstract and topic search of the relative terms in Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO databases through 9 January 2022. Odd ratios (ORs) were used to examine the pooled effect size of the association between TSSM and risk of depression. Dose−response analysis was evaluated by a generalized least squares trend estimation. Twenty-one cross-sectional studies and five longitudinal studies including a total of 55,340 participants were included. Overall, more TSSM was significantly associated with a higher risk of depression symptoms (OR = 1.60, 95%CI: 1.45 to 1.75) with high heterogeneity (Q(29) = 105.9, p < 0.001; I2 = 72.6%). The association was stronger for adolescent girls (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.41 to 2.09) than boys (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 1.05 to 1.37). Five studies with seven reports were included in dose−response analysis. There was a linear dose−response association of TSSM and risk of depression. The risk of depression increased by 13% (OR = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.09 to 1.17, p < 0.001) for each hour increase in social media use in adolescents. TSSM is associated with depression in a linear dose−response and gender-specific manner, which suggests the need for better monitoring of adolescent social media use. However, motivation, content, and engagement on and exposure to social media use may also be important contributing factors, making it necessary to interpret the current findings with caution. Therefore, further research is required to clarify not only the causal link between TSSM and depression by randomized control studies but also the influence of other factors, such as active vs. passive social media use or different types of engagement or environments in which social media is used.

Associations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with psychological problems and suicidality in Chinese high school students: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The body of literature regarding the associations between physical activity and psychological problems lacks consensus. Moreover, the role of gender has been scarcely investigated. The present study sought to fill the gap in the data by examining the associations, if any, between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), psychological problems, and self-harm behaviors based on different biological genders (male-female). METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure MVPA and multiple psychological problems, including depression and anxiety; general emotion, behavior, and social problems; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD); conduct problems; and self-harm behaviors. Participants were a nationally representative sample of Chinese high school students (N = 13, 349). A multiple logistic regression analysis of MVPA, stratified by gender, was conducted on the risk of psychological problems and self-harm behaviors in the total sample. RESULTS: For boys, a high frequency of MVPA was associated with a lower risk of depression (OR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.57-0.81]) and anxiety (OR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.53-0.96]) compared to the reference group. The moderate frequency of MVPA was associated with a lower risk of ADHD (OR = 0.73, 95% CI [0.56-0.94]) compared to the reference group. For girls, both MVPA groups were associated with a lower risk of depression (moderate MVPA: OR = 0.81, 95% CI [0.70-0.94]; high MVPA: OR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.54-0.83]) compared to the reference group. High MVPA was associated with a lower risk of ADHD (OR = 0.58, 95% CI [0.37-0.89]) compared to the reference group. Only moderate frequency of MVPA was associated with a lower risk of ODD (OR = 0.79, 95% CI [0.64-0.97]). CONCLUSION: MVPA was associated with a lower risk of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and ODD in a gender-specific and MVPA frequency-specific manner. This implies that for specific psychological issues, PA interventions that are modified based on gender and frequency of MVPA may be more effective than PA interventions without these considerations.

Emotion regulation difficulties and social control correlates of smoking among pregnant women trying to quit.

Approximately 15% of US women currently smoke during pregnancy. An important step toward providing effective smoking cessation interventions during pregnancy is to identify individuals who are more likely to encounter difficulty quitting. Pregnant smokers frequently report smoking in response to intrapersonal factors (e.g., negative emotions), but successful cessation attempts can also be influenced by interpersonal factors (i.e., influence from close others). This study examined the association between emotion regulation difficulties, positive and negative social control (e.g., encouragement, criticism), and smoking cessation-related variables (i.e., smoking quantity, withdrawal symptoms) among pregnant smokers. Data were drawn from the pretreatment wave of a smoking cessation trial enrolling low-income pregnant women who self-reported smoking in response to negative affect (N = 73). Greater emotion regulation difficulties were related to greater smoking urges (b = 0.295, p = .042) and withdrawal symptoms (b = 0.085, p = .003). Additionally, more negative social control from close others was related to fewer smoking days (b = -0.614, p = .042) and higher smoking abstinence self-efficacy (b = 0.017, p = .002). More positive social control from close others interacted with negative affect smoking (b = -0.052, p = .043); the association between negative affect smoking and nicotine dependence (b = 0.812, p < .001) only occurred at low levels of positive social control. Findings suggest that emotion regulation difficulties may contribute to smoking during pregnancy by exacerbating women's negative experiences related to smoking cessation attempts. Negative social control was related to lower smoking frequency and greater confidence in quitting smoking, suggesting that it may assist pregnant smokers' cessation efforts. Positive social control buffered women from the effects of negative affect smoking on nicotine dependence. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01163864.

The Influence of Friendships on Aggressive Behavior in Early Childhood: Examining the Interdependence of Aggression.

The present short-term longitudinal study examined the stability and role of peer influence on both physical and relational aggression in early childhood using a dyadic data analytic framework. Following the peer-individual interaction model, forms of aggressive behavior (i.e., physical and relational) were observed in 43 dyads of close friendships in early childhood (M = 47.37 months, SD = 7.56) to better understand how friendships may maintain aggressive behavior over time. Friendship quality (FQ) was included as a moderator to explain how friendships may maintain aggression. The results provide evidence supporting the affiliation hypothesis for physical aggression with opposite findings for relational aggression. Negative FQ moderated associations with both relational and physical aggression over time whereas positive FQ moderated the dyadic influence with physical aggression over time. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Prospective associations between peer victimization and social-psychological adjustment problems in early childhood.

The present short-term longitudinal study examined prospective associations between two forms of peer victimization (i.e., physical, relational) and both externalizing and internalizing problems in early childhood. The study assessed 97 children (42 girls; M age = 45.22 months, SD = 6.99) over the course of one school year with assessments occurring at the end of each semester (approximately 6 months apart). Multiple methods were used to collect data over the course of one school year to test theoretically driven hypotheses. Cross-lagged path analyses were conducted, revealing significant associations between relational victimization and increases in depressive symptoms. On the other hand, relational victimization was also significantly associated with decreases in externalizing problems (e.g., inattention, deception/lying) and increases in prosocial behavior. Physical aggression predicted increases in physical victimization, supporting hypotheses that children displaying physically aggressive behavior are likely to be reactive to negative peer interactions and endure future victimization.