Ranya Marrakchi El Fellah
University of Miami
Co-Authors: Amrit Baral1, Bria-Necole Diggs1, Kylee Krivijanski1, Ciné Brown1, Renessa Williams1, Raul Gonzalez2, Denise C Vidot1
1University of Miami, 2Florida International University
Background: Cannabis use is associated with perceived stress, though the relationship is complex. Reliance on cannabis for management of negative emotions is linked to cannabis use disorder and further distress, particularly in the context of emotion dysregulation. While some report relief of negative emotions from use, cannabis dependence may worsen stress and mental health.
Objective: To examine the relationship between problematic cannabis use and perceived stress while accounting for demographics.
Methods: Data are from 18-35y participants who consume cannabis (N=126) in the ongoing Herbal Heart Study in South Florida. Cannabis use was confirmed via urine toxicology. The Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test (CUDIT-R) score assessed problematic (<8) and non-problematic (≥8) cannabis use. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess self-reported stress across various life situations. Mann-Whitney U tests compared median PSS stress scores between problematic and non-problematic consumers by age-groups (18-26y vs 27-35y) and sex (male vs female).
Results: Among the sample of cannabis consumers [mean age 25.9y (SD = 4.8), 60.3% Hispanic], 84.1% had problematic cannabis use. The majority of 18-26y and 27-35y cannabis consumers were found to have problematic cannabis usage. A higher proportion of males (92.6%) reported problematic cannabis use than females (77.8%; p=0.024). Overall, problematic cannabis users had higher median stress scores (18.0) than non-problematic users (15.0; p=0.016), both consistent with moderate stress. Among 27-35y, problematic cannabis consumers had a mean stress score of 17.0 (moderate stress) and non-problematic consumers had a score of 8.0 (low stress; p=0.076). Similarly, among 18-26y, problematic users showed higher stress (19.5) than non-problematic users (15.0; p=0.063), both indicating moderate stress. However, neither analysis was statistically significant. While similar trends were seen between the age groups, 18-26y problematic cannabis consumers tended to report higher median stress scores than 27-35y. Among males, stress scores did not differ significantly between problematic and non-problematic cannabis users (15.0 vs. 14.0; p=0.32, moderate stress). Among females, problematic users had significantly higher stress compared to non-problematic consumers (19.0 vs. 15.0; p=0.012, moderate stress).
Conclusions: Problematic users had higher median stress scores than non-problematic users, with minimal differences in males but significantly higher stress in females. These findings highlight the importance of addressing mental health to prevent problematic cannabis use in stressed individuals.