Cannabis Use Disorder in Adolescence.

Cannabis use in the adolescent population poses a significant threat of addiction potential resulting in altered neurodevelopment. There are multiple mechanisms of treatment of cannabis use disorder including behavioral therapy management and emerging data on treatment via pharmacotherapy. Recognizing the diagnostic criteria for cannabis use disorder, cannabis withdrawal syndrome, and mitigating factors that influence adolescent engagement in cannabis use allows for comprehensive assessment and management in the adolescent population.

The structure of the UPPS-R-Child impulsivity scale and its relations with substance use outcomes among treatment-seeking adolescents.

BACKGROUND: A youth version of the UPPS Impulsivity Scale (UPPS-R-C) was previously shown to predict drinking initiation among pre-adolescents. The goals of the current study were to confirm the structure of the UPPS-R-C using a sample of treatment-seeking adolescents and to examine the scales' relations with alcohol use, marijuana use, and problems related to substance use. METHOD: Participants (N=120; ages 12-18; M=15.7) completed questionnaires at treatment intake. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the UPPS-R-C was conducted using a 5-factor model with factors corresponding to negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of perseverance, lack of premeditation, and sensation seeking. Relations between UPPS-R-C factors and binge drinking, marijuana use, and problems resulting from substance use were examined using path analysis. RESULTS: CFA suggested the 5-factor model provided adequate fit to the data. The hypothesized path model was partially supported, positive urgency was associated with frequency of binge drinking, and both negative urgency and frequency of binge drinking was associated with problems due to substance use. Other hypothesized paths were not significant. Although not hypothesized, negative urgency was associated with frequency of marijuana use and lack of perseverance was associated with problems due to use. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the UPPS-R-C can be used with a treatment-seeking sample of adolescents. Furthermore, negative urgency, positive urgency, and lack of perseverance may be indicative of more severe substance use problems in a treatment setting.

Coping motives for drinking affect stress reactivity but not alcohol consumption in a clinical laboratory setting.

OBJECTIVE: Stress evokes thoughts about alcohol and enhances alcohol's rewarding value in drinkers who use alcohol to cope with negative affect. The present study extends prior research by examining whether this effect applies to actual alcohol consumption following a stressor and whether individuals with high and low coping motives for drinking differ in stress reactivity. METHOD: Nondependent drinkers with high scores (ï¹¥1 SD above national norms) on the coping motives subscale on the Drinking Motives Questionnaire (n = 41; 46% women) were enrolled along with age- and gender-matched nondependent drinkers with low coping motives (n = 41). Participants were randomized to receive the Trier Social Stress Test or a no-stress control condition. Following the stress manipulation, participants could consume up to 473 ml of beer in a "taste test," a covert measure of alcohol consumption. Stress reactivity was measured with both objective and subjective indices, and milliliters of beer consumed was the alcohol-relevant outcome. RESULTS: Participants with high coping motives showed a less robust stress response to the Trier Social Stress Test than participants with low coping motives for drinking. However, the stressor did not result in greater consumption of alcohol (i.e., no main effect of stress induction) or differential drinking in the two motive groups (i.e., no Stressor × Coping Motive group interaction). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that nondependent drinkers with and without coping motives for drinking may experience a stress provocation differently, but exposure to a standardized social stressor does not lead to differential drinking in these groups in a clinical laboratory setting.

Negative affect, stress, and smoking in college students: unique associations independent of alcohol and marijuana use.

INTRODUCTION: Stress and negative affect (NA) figure prominently in theoretical models of smoking initiation, maintenance and relapse, yet few studies have examined these associations among college students. Further complicating examination of these associations, smoking often occurs in the context of other substance use (e.g., alcohol, marijuana) in college populations. Thus, it remains unclear whether stress and NA are associated with cigarette use among college students, and if so, whether these associations are evident after controlling for effects of other substance use. The goals of this study were: a) to examine whether several aspects of stress (objective events, subjective experiences) and NA (sad mood, general emotional distress) were associated with cigarette smoking among college students and b) whether associations remained after accounting for alcohol and marijuana use. SAMPLE: A large sample of college freshmen (N=633) followed longitudinally over 35 weeks via internet assessments. RESULTS: Results of hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated that measures of subjective stress and NA were positively related to cigarette use, whereas measures of objective stressful events were negatively related to cigarette use. When alcohol and marijuana use were added to the models, associations between smoking and stress/NA were diminished. Associations between NA and smoking remained significant; however, associations between subjective stress/stressful events and smoking were no longer significant. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to comprehensively examine links between subjective and objective measures of stress and smoking behavior among college students while also considering the influence of other substance use. Negative affect was the most robust correlate of smoking among college students. Subjective and objective stress do not appear to be strongly associated with college smoking above and beyond alcohol and marijuana use. Stress may not be an important etiological factor for relatively low levels of cigarette use among college students. Given that relations between NA/stress and cigarette smoking were diminished when concurrent alcohol and marijuana use was considered, it is imperative for future studies of college students to consider other substance use.

Differentiating between sensation seeking and impulsivity through their mediated relations with alcohol use and problems.

Disinhibition is a strong correlate of alcohol use, yet limited alcohol research has examined the facets of this personality construct. Recent work suggests that sensation seeking and impulsivity show differential relations with alcohol outcomes, indicating unique mechanisms of risks associated with each of these dimensions of disinhibition. The goal of the study was to examine sensation seeking and impulsivity as unique predictors of alcohol use and problems, and to test a broad range of drinking motives as potential mediators of these relations. Self-reported data from college students (N=310) were utilized for the study. Results suggested that sensation seeking and impulsivity were associated with alcohol use and problems through different mediational pathways. There was some evidence for gender moderating these pathways. The findings indicate that alcohol prevention and intervention programs should be tailored to specifically target individuals elevated on impulsivity versus sensation seeking.