Hostname: page-component-55f67697df-xlmdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-05-11T07:02:36.373Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trajectories of marijuana use and psychological adjustment among urban African American and Puerto Rican women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2010

K. Pahl ,
J. S. Brook  and
J. Koppel
K. Pahl*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, NY, USA
J. S. Brook
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, NY, USA
J. Koppel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, NY, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr K. Pahl, Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 215 Lexington Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA. (Email: kerstin.pahl@nyumc.org)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

The current longitudinal study examined the developmental patterns of marijuana use and their relationship with subsequent psychological adjustment in a community-based sample of urban African American and Puerto Rican women.

Method

Participants were interviewed five times over a period ranging from adolescence (mean age 14.0 years) to adulthood (mean age 32.5 years). Outcome measures included depressive symptoms, anger/hostility and the presence of a substance use disorder (abuse/dependence).

Results

Three distinct trajectories of marijuana use were identified: non-users, increasers and quitters. Increasers reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and anger/hostility than did non-users and were more likely to meet criteria for a substance use disorder at age 32.5 years.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that early-starting long-term use of marijuana is associated with psychological maladjustment among women. Prevention efforts should emphasize the long-term cost associated with marijuana use, and that the best psychological health is reported by those who abstain from the drug.

Keywords

Longitudinalmarijuana usepsychological adjustmentwomen's health
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 41 , Issue 8 , August 2011 , pp. 1775 - 1783
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Agrawal, A, Neale, MC, Prescott, CA, Kendler, KS (2004). A twin study of early cannabis use and subsequent use and abuse/dependence of other illicit drugs. Psychological Medicine 34, 1227–1237.Google Scholar
APA (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR. American Psychiatric Association: Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Bachman, JG, O'Malley, PM, Schulenberg, JE, Johnston, LD, Bryant, AL, Merline, AC (2002). The Decline of Substance Use in Young Adulthood: Changes in Social Activities. Lawrence Erlbaum: Mahwah, NJ.Google Scholar
Bovasso, GB (2001). Cannabis abuse as risk factor for depressive symptoms. American Journal of Psychiatry 158, 2033–2037.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brook, JS, Adams, RE, Balka, EB, Johnson, E (2002). Early adolescent marijuana use: risks for the transition to young adulthood. Psychological Medicine 32, 79–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brook, JS, Pahl, K, Ning, Y (2006). Peer and parental influences on longitudinal trajectories of smoking among African Americans and Puerto Ricans. Nicotine and Tobacco Research 8, 639–651.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, TL, Flory, K, Lyman, DR, Leukefeld, C, Clayton, RR (2004). Comparing the developmental trajectories of marijuana use of African American and Caucasian adolescents: patterns, antecedents, and consequences. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 12, 47–56.Google Scholar
Chen, C-Y, Wagner, FA, Anthony, JC (2002). Marijuana use and the risk of major depressive episode: epidemiological evidence from the United States National Comorbidity Survey. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 37, 199–206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Degenhardt, L, Hall, W, Lynskey, M (2001). Alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use among Australians: a comparison of their associations with other drug use and use disorders, affective and anxiety disorders, and psychosis. Addiction 96, 1603–1614.Google Scholar
Degenhardt, L, Hall, W, Lynskey, M (2003). Exploring the association between cannabis use and depression. Addiction 98, 1493–1504.Google Scholar
Denton, M, Prus, S, Walters, V (2004). Gender differences in health: a Canadian study of the psychosocial, structural, and behavioral determinants of health. Social Science and Medicine 58, 2585–2600.Google Scholar
Derogatis, LR, Lipman, RS, Rickels, K, Uhlenhuth, EH, Covi, L (1974). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HCSL): a self-report symptom inventory. Behavioral Science 19, 1–15.Google Scholar
Donovan, JE, Jessor, R (1985). Structure of problem behavior in adolescence and young adulthood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 53, 890–904.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ellickson, PL, Martino, SC, Collins, RL (2004). Marijuana use from adolescence to young adulthood: multiple developmental trajectories and their associated outcomes. Health Psychology 23, 299–307.Google Scholar
Fergusson, DM, Boden, JM, Horwood, LJ (2006). Cannabis use and other illicit drug use: testing the cannabis gateway hypothesis. Addiction 101, 556–569.Google Scholar
Fergusson, DM, Horwood, LJ (1997). Early onset cannabis use and psychosocial adjustment in young adults. Addiction 98, 279–296.Google Scholar
Fergusson, DM, Horwood, LJ, Beautrais, AL (2003). Cannabis and educational achievement. Addiction 98, 1681–1692.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flory, K, Lynam, D, Milich, R, Leukefeld, C, Clayton, R (2004). Early adolescent through young adult alcohol and marijuana use trajectories: early predictors, young adult outcomes, and predictive utility. Developmental Psychopathology 16, 193–213.Google Scholar
Friedman, AS, Terras, A, Zhu, W, McCallum, J (2004). Depression, negative self-image, and suicide attempts as effects of substance use and substance dependence. Journal of Addictive Diseases 23, 55–71.Google Scholar
Galaif, E, Chou, CP, Sussman, S, Dent, CW (1998). Depression, suicidal ideation, and substance use among continuation high school students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 27, 275–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haney, M, Hart, CL, Vosburg, SK, Nasser, J, Bennett, A, Zubaran, C, Foltin, RW (2004). Marijuana withdrawal in humans: effects of oral THC or divalproex. Neuropsychopharmacology 29, 158–170.Google Scholar
Harrison, LD, Martin, SS, Enev, T, Harrington, D (2007). Comparing Drug Testing and Self-Report of Drug Use Among Youths and Young Adults in the General Population. DHHS Population No. SMA 07-4249, Methodology Series M-7. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies: Rockville, MD.Google Scholar
Hasin, DS, Goodwin, RD, Stinson, FS, Grant, BF (2005). Epidemiology of major depressive disorder: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcoholism and Related Conditions. Archives of General Psychiatry 62, 1097–1106.Google Scholar
Iversen, L (2003). Cannabis and the brain. Brain 126, 1252–1270.Google Scholar
Jessor, R, Chase, JA, Donovan, JE (1980). Psychosocial correlates of marijuana use and problem drinking in a national sample of adolescents. American Journal of Public Health 70, 604–610.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jessor, R, Donavan, JE, Costa, FM (1991). Beyond Adolescence: Problem Behavior and Young Adult Development. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
Kandel, DB (1989). Issues of sequencing of adolescent drug use and other problem behaviors. Drugs and Society 3, 55–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, RC, Chiu, WT, Demler, O, Walters, EE (2005). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry 6, 617–627.Google Scholar
Kreek, MJ, Nielsen, DA, Butelman, ER, LaForge, KS (2005). Genetic influences on impulsivity, risk taking, stress responsivity and vulnerability to drug abuse and addiction. Nature Neuroscience 8, 1450–1457.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lo, Y, Mendell, NR, Rubin, DB (2001). Testing the number of components in a normal mixture. Biometrika 88, 767–778.Google Scholar
Lynskey, MT, Coffey, C, Degenhardt, L, Carlin, JB, Patton, GA (2003 a). A longitudinal study of the effects of adolescent cannabis use on high school completion. Addiction 98, 685–692.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lynskey, MT, Heath, AC, Bucholz, KK, Slutske, WS, Madden, PA, Nelson, EC, Statham, DJ, Martin, NG (2003 b). Escalation of drug use in early onset cannabis users vs. co-twin controls. Journal of the American Medical Association 289, 427–433.Google Scholar
MacLeod, J, Oakes, R, Copello, A, Crome, I, Egger, M, Hickman, M, Oppenkowski, T, Stokes-Lampard, H, Smith, G (2004). Psychological and social sequelae of cannabis and other illicit drug use by young people: a systematic review of longitudinal general population studies. Lancet 363, 1579–1588.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDonough, P, Walters, V (2001). Gender and health: reassessing patterns and explanations. Social Science and Medicine 52, 547–559.Google Scholar
McLachlan, GJ, Peel, S (2000). Finite Mixture Modeling. John Wiley & Sons: New York.Google Scholar
Muthén, LK, Muthén, BO (2007). MPlus: Statistical Analysis with Latent Variables: User's Guide. Muthén & Muthén: Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Nagin, DS (2005). Group-Based Modeling of Development. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nylund, KL, Asparouhov, T, Muthén, BO (2007). Deciding on the number of cases in latent class analysis and growth mixture modeling: a Monte Carlo simulation study. Structural Equation Modeling 14, 535–569.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Malley, PM, Bachman, JG, Johnston, LD, Schulenberg, J (2004). Studying the transition from youth to adulthood: impacts on substance use and abuse. In A Telescope on Society: Survey Research and Social Science at the University of Michigan and Beyond (ed. Juster, T. F. and Kahn, R. L.), pp. 305–329. The University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Otsubo, T, Tanaka, K, Koda, R, Shinoda, J, Sano, N, Tanaka, S, Aoyama, H, Mimura, M, Kamijima, K (2005). Reliability and validity of Japanese version of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 59, 517–526.Google Scholar
Patton, GC, Coffey, C, Carlin, JB, Degenhardt, L, Lynskey, M, Hall, W (2002). Cannabis use and mental health in young people: a cohort study. British Medical Journal 23, 1199–1212.Google Scholar
Pope, HG, Gruber, AJ, Hudson, JI, Cohane, G, Huestis, MA, Yurgelun-Todd, D (2003). Early-onset cannabis use and cognitive deficits: what is the nature of the association? Drug and Alcohol Dependence 69, 303–310.Google Scholar
Raftery, AE (1985). A model for high-order Markov chains. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series B (Statistical Methodology) 47, 528–530.Google Scholar
Raftery, AE (1995). Model selection in social research. Sociological Methodology 25, 111–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulenberg, JE, Merline, AC, Johnston, LD, O'Malley, PM, Bachman, JG, Laetz, VB (2005). Trajectories of marijuana use during the transition to adulthood: the big picture based on national panel data. Journal of Drug Issues 35, 255–279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schuster, C, O'Malley, PM, Bachman, JG, Johnston, LD, Schulenberg, J (2001). Adolescent marijuana use and adult occupational attainment: a longitudinal study from age 18 to 28. Substance Use and Misuse 36, 997–1014.Google Scholar
Schwarz, G (1978). Estimating the dimension of a model. Annals of Statistics 6, 461–464.Google Scholar
Shedler, J, Block, J (1990). Adolescent drug use and psychological health: a longitudinal inquiry. American Psychologist 45, 612–630.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sheehan, DV, Lecrubier, Y, Sheehan, KH, Amorim, P, Janavs, J, Weiller, E, Hergueta, T, Baker, R, Dunbar, GC (1998). The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.): the development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 59, 22–33.Google Scholar
Sheehan, DV, Lecrubier, Y, Sheehan, KH, Janavs, J, Weiller, E, Keskiner, A, Schinka, J, Knapp, E, Sheehan, MF, Dunbar, GC (1997). The validity of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) according to the SCID-P and its reliability. European Psychiatry 12, 232–241.Google Scholar
Solowij, N, Stephens, RS, Roffman, RA, Babor, T, Kadden, R, Miller, M, Christiansen, K, McRee, B, Vendetti, J; Marijuana Treatment Project Research Group (2002). Cognitive functioning of long-term heavy cannabis users seeking treatment. Journal of the American Medical Association 287, 1123–1131.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stinson, FS, Ruan, WJ, Pickering, R, Grant, BF (2006). Cannabis use disorders in the USA: prevalence, correlates, and co-morbidity. Psychological Medicine 36, 1447–1460.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sullivan, PF, Neale, MC, Kendler, KS (2000). Genetic epidemiology of major depression: review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry 157, 1552–1662.Google Scholar
Thomas, H (1996). A community survey of adverse effects of cannabis use. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 42, 201–207.Google Scholar
Windle, M, Wiesner, M (2004). Trajectories of marijuana use from adolescence to young adulthood: predictors and outcomes. Developmental Psychopathology 16, 1007–1027.Google Scholar