Cannabis-Related Perceptions as Mediators of the Association Between Trait Impulsivity and Cannabis Outcomes

Impulsivity, mental health state and emotion regulation modulate alcohol and marijuana use in a sample of Argentinean citizens

Impulsivity and substance-related outcomes share a complex relationship, as various facets of impulsivity exhibit distinct associations with different drug-related outcomes. This study examines the associations between frequency and quantity of alcohol and marijuana use with impulsivity traits, psychological distress, and the utilization of emotion regulation strategies. A survey asked Argentinian citizens (n = 1507, 356 men) about frequency and quantity of alcohol or marijuana use on each day of a typical week, as well as anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms (DASS-21), impulsivity-like traits (UPPS-P), and emotion regulation strategies (ERQ). The 2-month prevalence of alcohol or marijuana use was 80.1%, and 27.2%, respectively. Premeditation was significantly (p < 0.05) and negatively associated with both frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed, whereas negative and positive urgency were positively and significantly (p < 0.05) associated with quantity of alcohol or marijuana use, respectively. Greater depression symptoms predicted greater quantity of alcohol use, whereas lower emotional suppression or lower cognitive reappraisal were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with a greater frequency of alcohol or marijuana use. Sensation seeking was significantly (p < 0.05) and positively associated with frequency of marijuana use. Individuals with higher levels of impulsivity-like traits, higher levels of depression, or lower use of emotional regulation abilities appeared to be at a higher risk of alcohol or marijuana use. In this sample, the use of alcohol (though not marijuana) seems to fit a negative reinforcement pathway. The study suggests that individuals with risk factors for drug misuse could benefit from interventions aimed at enhancing emotion regulation.

Distress tolerance is linked with substance use motivations and problems in young adults across four continents

INTRODUCTION

People low in trait distress tolerance are at higher risk for harmful patterns of substance use. Some evidence suggests that maladaptive motives for substance use account for this correlation. However, the generality of these associations remains in doubt because virtually all available data come from North American samples.

METHOD

Using data from 7 countries (total N = 5858; U.S., Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, South Africa, Canada, and England), we examined distress tolerance's association with alcohol- and cannabis-related problems in young adults. On an exploratory basis, we examined how distress tolerance related to different substance-use motivations.

RESULTS

We found that distress tolerance was inversely related to problematic alcohol and cannabis use (rs = -0.14 and - 0.13). There was notable variation across countries in the magnitude of these effects, particularly for cannabis-related problems. Additionally, exploratory analyses revealed statistically significant (cross-sectional) indirect effects of distress tolerance on substance-related problems via substance-use motivations related to neutralizing negative emotions.

CONCLUSIONS

Distress tolerance's role in substance-use problems appears to generalize beyond North America, although effect sizes were generally small and varied notably across geographical regions. Distress tolerance's connection with negative reinforcement processes (e.g., coping motives) warrants attention as a possible mediator of its association with problematic substance use.

Substance Use Motives as Mediators of the Associations between Self-Control Constructs and Negative Substance Use Consequences: A Cross-Cultural Examination

The present study sought to examine three distinct research questions: a) are self-control constructs (i.e., negative/positive urgency, self-regulation, and emotion-regulation) indirectly related to negative alcohol/marijuana consequences via substance use motives, b) to what extent are these indirect effects consistent across differing drugs (i.e., alcohol and marijuana), and c) are these models invariant across gender and countries. Participants were 2,230 college students (mean age=20.28, SD=0.40; 71.1% females) across 7 countries (USA, Canada, Spain, England, Argentina, Uruguay, and South Africa) who consumed alcohol and marijuana in the last month. Two (one for alcohol and one for marijuana) fully saturated path models were conducted, such that indirect paths were examined for each self-control construct and substance use motive on negative consequences (e.g., negative urgency → coping motives → negative consequences) within the same model. Within the comprehensive alcohol model, we found that lower self-regulation and higher negative urgency/suppression were related to more alcohol consequences via higher coping and conformity motives. For marijuana, we found that lower self-regulation and higher negative urgency/suppression were related to more marijuana consequences via higher coping motives (not significant for conformity motives). Unique to marijuana, we did find support for higher expansion motives indirectly linking positive urgency to more negative consequences. These results were invariant across gender groups and only minor differences across countries emerged. Prevention and intervention programs of alcohol and marijuana around university campuses may benefit from targeting self-control related skills in addition to motives to drug use to prevent and reduce negative drug-related consequences.

Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences in Adulthood: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Distress Tolerance and Drinking to Cope

Background: Prior research has established that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) predict harmful alcohol use outcomes. However, underlying mechanisms that could explain these associations are less clear. The present study examined if ACEs are indirectly related to alcohol negative consequences through their associations with distress tolerance and drinking to cope. Method: A sample of 3,763 (71.9% female) college students who drink alcohol from seven countries (U.S., Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, Spain, South Africa, and England) completed online surveys. Path analysis was performed within the whole sample testing the serial unique associations between ACEs→distress tolerance→drinking to cope→negative alcohol-related consequences. Multi-group analysis was performed to determine if the proposed pathways were invariant across gender and countries. Results: Both distress tolerance and drinking to cope uniquely accounted for the relationship between ACEs and negative alcohol-related consequences. Additionally, a significant double-mediation effect was found illustrating that a higher endorsement of ACEs was associated with lower distress tolerance, which in turn was associated with higher drinking to cope, which in turn was associated with more negative alcohol-related consequences. These effects were invariant across countries and gender groups. Conclusions: These findings provide support for the relevance of distress tolerance and coping motives as potential factors in linking ACEs to problematic alcohol use across nations. Our data are consistent with the idea that intervening on distress tolerance and drinking motives could mitigate downstream alcohol-related consequences related to ACEs in college student populations around the world.

Factors Associated with Simultaneous or Concurrent Use of Alcohol and Marijuana in Argentina

Background: The identification of factors promoting simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use is important to promote early intervention efforts. The associations between impulsivity facets and SAM (or concurrent alcohol and marijuana, CAM) use have been analyzed in North American samples. These topics, however, remain unexplored in South American samples. This study assessed if internalizing symptoms, five impulsivity dimensions, and emotional regulation strategies differentiate between participants who reported last 2-month SAM use, CAM use, alcohol, or marijuana only use, or that reported no substance use. Methods: A sample of 1057 Argentinian citizens answered an online survey. A multinominal logistic regression was conducted on drug use membership. Results: Circa 25% of the sample reported SAM use. Higher sensation seeking differentiated between SAM use versus no substance use, and those with lower sensation seeking were more likely to be classified into the alcohol-only group or into the nonuse group, than into the SAM use group. Stress scores uniquely predicted membership into the alcohol-only category. Those with lower use of emotional suppression were more likely than nonusers to be classified in all drug use categories, except CAM use. Higher emotional suppression scores were associated with membership into the nonuse group or the alcohol-only group, when compared to the SAM use group. Hazardous drinking was significantly greater in SAM than in alcohol-only users. Conclusions: The study highlights the relevance of sensation seeking as a predictor of SAM use and pinpoints emotional suppression as common factor modulating hazardous drug use behaviors.