Solitary Use of Alcohol and Marijuana by US 12th Grade Students, 1976-2019

The effects of social context and opportunity cost on the behavioral economic value of cannabis

OBJECTIVE

Behavioral economics suggest that cannabis reinforcing value (cannabis demand) may be influenced by external, contextual factors such as the social reward that might accompany cannabis use and the presence of opportunity costs (e.g., a next-day responsibility that cannabis use might adversely impact). The present study examined the effect of social context and opportunity cost on cannabis demand and explored whether relations were moderated by cannabis use severity.

METHOD

Adults with past-week cannabis use recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk (N = 310; 53.5% female, 79.4% White) completed four purchase tasks, in which participants reported how much cannabis they would purchase across escalating prices, to index cannabis demand under varying contexts: (a) solitary, typical responsibilities; (b) social, typical responsibilities; (c) solitary, substantial responsibilities; and (d) social, substantial responsibilities.

RESULTS

The presence of peers significantly increased demand intensity (consumption at zero price) and Omax (maximum expenditure) relative to the solitary conditions. Substantial responsibilities significantly decreased intensity, breakpoint (price at which consumption is fully suppressed), and Pmax (price at which maximum expenditure occurs) and increased elasticity (greater price sensitivity). Demand was most inelastic in the social, typical responsibilities condition relative to other conditions. Cannabis use severity was associated with less elastic demand in the solitary, typical responsibilities condition. Those with higher cannabis use severity reported larger differences in demand intensity and Omax between solitary and social conditions, and in demand elasticity between typical and substantial responsibility conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Results are consistent with previous research illustrating social and opportunity costs as determinants of cannabis use behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Solitary-specific drinking to cope motives explain unique variance in solitary drinking behavior but not alcohol problems compared to general drinking to cope motives

OBJECTIVE

Adolescent and young adult solitary drinking is prospectively associated with alcohol problems, and it is thus important to understand why individuals engage in this risky drinking behavior. There is substantial evidence that individuals drink alone to cope with negative affect, but all prior studies have assessed motives for alcohol use without specifying the context of such use. Here, we directly compared solitary-specific drinking to cope motives with general drinking to cope motives in their ability to predict solitary drinking behavior and alcohol problems. We hypothesized that solitary-specific drinking motives would provide additional predictive utility in each case.

METHODS

Current underage drinkers (N = 307; 90% female; ages 18-20) recruited from a TurkPrime panel March-May 2016 completed online surveys querying solitary alcohol use, general and solitary-specific coping motives, and alcohol problems.

RESULTS

Both solitary-specific and general coping motives were positively associated with a greater percentage of total drinking time spent alone in separate models, after controlling for solitary-specific and general enhancement motives, respectively. However, the model with solitary-specific motives accounted for greater variance than the general motives model based on adjusted R2 values (0.8 versus 0.3, respectively). Additionally, both general and solitary-specific coping motives were positively associated with alcohol problems, again controlling for enhancement motives, but the model including general motives accounted for greater variance (0.49) than the solitary-specific motives model (0.40).

CONCLUSION

These findings provide evidence that solitary-specific coping motives explain unique variance in solitary drinking behavior but not alcohol problems. The methodological and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

I Smoke Alone: Indirect Effects of Solitary Cannabis Use on Negative Consequences Through Coping Motives

OBJECTIVE

Using cannabis in solitary contexts is associated with greater cannabis use problems than using cannabis in social contexts. However, it remains unclear why solitary use predicts greater problems. Consistent with a social learning perspective, the current study examined whether cannabis use motives mediated the association between context of cannabis use and negative consequences. We also examined whether cannabis type (concentrates vs. flower) moderated the relation between context of use and motives.

METHOD

Recreational college cannabis users (n = 387) reported their frequency of using cannabis alone or with others, motives for cannabis use, negative cannabis consequences, and type of cannabis typically used.

RESULTS

Solitary cannabis use was associated with greater global negative consequences through coping motives (β = 0.26, SE = 0.10, 95% CI [0.10, 0.43]). Cannabis type did not moderate relations between context and motives, despite concentrate users reporting more frequent cannabis use, more frequent solitary use, and greater consequences than flower users.

CONCLUSIONS

Frequent cannabis use in solitary contexts was associated with greater negative cannabis consequences, both directly and indirectly via coping motives. Efforts to reduce frequent use of cannabis in solitary contexts, particularly for the purpose of coping, may be beneficial in reducing negative consequences.

Solitary alcohol use in adolescence predicts alcohol problems in adulthood: A 17-year longitudinal study in a large national sample of US high school students

BACKGROUND

Identifying risk factors for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is important for public health. The social context of drinking-such as drinking alone-may be an independent and robust early risk marker for AUD symptoms later in life. We evaluated whether solitary alcohol use in adolescence (age 18) and young adulthood (age 23/24) was concurrently associated with binge drinking and prospectively predicted age 35 AUD symptoms, and whether associations differed by sex.

METHODS

Longitudinal data were from the Monitoring the Future study. Surveys were completed by adolescents in 12th grade at age 18 (1976-2002), young adults at age 23/24 (1981-2008), and adults at age 35 (1993-2019). Analyses included past 12-month alcohol users (n = 4464 for adolescent models; n = 4561 for young adult models). Multivariable regression analyses tested whether adolescent and young adult solitary alcohol use was associated concurrently with binge drinking frequency and prospectively with age 35 AUD symptoms.

RESULTS

Solitary alcohol use in adolescence and young adulthood was associated (a) concurrently with binge drinking and (b) prospectively with increased risk of age 35 AUD symptoms (even after controlling for earlier binge drinking, alcohol use frequency, and sociodemographic covariates). Adolescent solitary alcohol use was associated with age 35 AUD symptoms particularly among females; no interaction was observed between sex and young adult solitary alcohol use in predicting age 35 AUD symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescent and young adult solitary alcohol use was associated with increased adult AUD symptoms above and beyond other risk factors; adolescent female solitary alcohol users were especially at risk.

Characteristics and reasons for use associated with solitary alcohol and marijuana use among U.S. 12th Grade Students, 2015-2021

BACKGROUND

Little is known regarding what sociodemographic characteristics and reasons for use are associated with adolescent solitary alcohol and marijuana use.

METHODS

Data from 7845 12th grade students participating in the nationally-representative Monitoring the Future study from 2015 to 2021 were used to examine cross-sectional associations between sociodemographics, heavy drinking/marijuana use, reasons for use, and past 12-month solitary alcohol or marijuana use among past 12-month users. Historical trends and possible differences related to the COVID-19 pandemic also were examined.

RESULTS

Solitary use prevalence increased from 2015 to 2021 with no evidence of significant COVID-19 deviations. In 2021, solitary alcohol use was reported by 32.1% (SE 3.01) and solitary marijuana use by 55.8% (4.72) of those reporting past 12-month use. Common and substance-specific sociodemographic risk factors were observed. Binge drinking was associated with solitary alcohol use; frequent marijuana use was associated with solitary marijuana use. Reasons for use related to coping with negative affect were associated with solitary use. Compulsive use reasons were more strongly associated with solitary alcohol than marijuana use. Drinking to have a good time with friends was negatively associated with solitary alcohol use but this association was not seen for solitary marijuana use.

CONCLUSIONS

The percentage of adolescents who use alcohol or marijuana when they were alone has increased among those who report using each substance. Associations between solitary use and (a) higher levels of consumption and (b) coping with negative affect highlight the importance of solitary use as a risk indicator.

Adolescent drug use before and during U.S. national COVID-19 social distancing policies

BACKGROUND

How adolescent substance use and perceived availability of substances have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic remain largely unknown. Substantial reduction in availability of substances would present a unique opportunity to consider the supply-side hypothesis that reductions in drug availability will lead to reductions in drug prevalence.

METHODS

Longitudinal data come from Monitoring the Future and are based on responses from 582 adolescents who were originally surveyed as part of a national sample of 12^th grade students in early 2020, one month before social distancing policies began. They were surveyed again after social distancing policies were implemented, in the summer of 2020.

RESULTS

Perceived availability of marijuana and alcohol declined across the two survey waves at the largest levels ever recorded in the 46 years of the project, by an absolute 17 %, p < .01 and 24 %, p < .01, respectively. Despite these declines, prevalence levels did not significantly change across the two waves for marijuana use in the past 30 days or for binge drinking in the past two weeks. Perceived availability of vaping devices significantly declined, from 73 % to 63 %, as did nicotine vaping prevalence in the past 30 days, from 24 % to 17 %.

CONCLUSIONS

Perceived availability of marijuana, alcohol, and vaping devices declined at historic rates during the pandemic of 2020. Lack of accompanying reductions in prevalence for marijuana and binge drinking demonstrates the substantial challenges facing a supply-side approach to the reduction of adolescent use of these substances.