Association between synthetic cannabinoid use and depressive symptomology: Analysis of a US national survey of high-school seniors

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Synthetic cannabinoid (SC) use among adolescents in the US is a major public health concern. SCs are considered by many teens to be a safe alternative to cannabis; however, little is known about the association between its use and depressive symptomology (DS). This study aims to examine the association between SC use and DS in US high-school seniors.

Methods: Data from the 2011–2014 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey for high-school seniors was analyzed (N = 9,272). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between SC use (any use, ≤6 or >6 times in the last 12 months) and DS (low, medium, or high).

Results: Approximately 8% of high-school seniors reported SC use in the last 12 months and 24% reported high levels of DS. Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that in the unadjusted model and the model that controlled for sociodemographic factors, a significant association between SC use and DS was observed. However, upon controlling for other substance use, the association became markedly attenuated and lost its statistical significance.

Conclusions: SC use was not associated with DS in high-school seniors. Future longitudinal studies are needed to further examine the relationship.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• depressive symptomology
• high-school seniors
• synthetic cannabinoid