Coping Motives Mediate the Association of Trauma History with Problematic Cannabis Use in Young Adult Medical Cannabis Patients and Non-Patient Cannabis Users

Abstract

Background: Despite evidence of the contribution of childhood trauma to the development of problematic cannabis use, its mediating pathways are largely unknown. Given the link between cannabis motives with trauma and problematic cannabis use, motives of use may represent a construct through which trauma impacts problematic cannabis use. Methods: A sample of 339 medical cannabis patient and non-patient young adult users from the Los Angeles area were sampled at baseline and one year later. The current study examined the impact of childhood trauma on problematic use through a variety of cannabis use motives. Results: Controlling for age, socioeconomic status, perceived stress, and baseline problematic use, endorsing the use of cannabis to cope with distress at baseline uniquely mediated the associations between different childhood trauma types (e.g., physical abuse, neglect, sexual trauma) and problematic use one year later. Experience of any childhood trauma was positively associated with coping motives, whereas emotional and physical abuse were positively associated with pain motives, and sexual abuse was positively associated with sleep motives. Using cannabis for coping and increasing attention/focus were also positively associated with higher problematic use, whereas using cannabis for sleep was inversely associated with problematic use one year later. Conclusions: The motives of coping with distress and inattention may represent intermediate constructs through which trauma leads to later problematic cannabis use. Results highlight the need to clarify the pathways between health and non-health-oriented motives and cannabis use over time.

Keywords:

• trauma
• motives
• coping
• sleep
• cannabis use

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the young adults who participated in this study. This project was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Dr. Whitney Brammer’s participation in the Clinical Child Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship at the USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and in the California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Interdisciplinary Training Program.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Drug Use (DA034067).