ABSTRACT
The aim of the current investigation was to examine uni-morbid and co-occurring tobacco and marijuana use in relation to the negative emotional symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants were 250 adult individuals (132 women; mean age = 22.43 years, standard deviation = 9.00 years) who were divided into one of four non-overlapping substance use categories: tobacco use only (n = 39), marijuana use only (n = 62), co-occurring tobacco and marijuana use (n = 82), and neither tobacco nor marijuana use (n = 67). Results revealed three key findings. First, tobacco-only using individuals reported significantly greater negative affectivity than any of the other groups. Second, tobacco-only users reported greater anxious arousal symptoms than either the marijuana or non-substance use groups, but not the combined group. Third, tobacco-only users reported greater levels of depressive symptoms than either marijuana users or non-substance users. These findings provide novel information about tobacco and marijuana use and how these variables relate to the experience of general and specific types of negative emotional symptoms.
Supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service funds. This work was supported by National Institute on Mental Health research grant (1 R01 MH076629-01) awarded to Dr. Zvolensky. The views expressed here are the authors' and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Notes
a. Analyses were re-run in a follow-up fashion with the inclusion of gender as a covariate using an analysis of covariance. All findings remained statistically significant (p < .05).