Family stress and sleep problems predicted marijuana use among Black adults with criminal justice contact | Research

The takeaway

Among 1,476 Black adults with criminal justice involvement, marijuana use was associated with family stressors and sleep problems in men, and neighborhood stressors in women, revealing sex-specific risk pathways.

Social determinants of health researchers, criminal justice reform advocates, substance use prevention specialists

Family stressors doubled marijuana use risk in men (APR=2.31)

What the researchers found

In sex-stratified analyses, lifetime marijuana use among males was associated with family stressors (APR=2.31) and sleep problems (APR=2.07). Among females, marijuana use was associated with neighborhood stressors (APR=1.72). Different stressor types predicted different substance use patterns: family stressors drove marijuana and cigarette use in males, while financial stressors drove alcohol abuse in females.

Why it matters

Black adults with criminal justice contact face compounding stressors that drive substance use, but the specific stressor pathways differ by sex. Understanding these patterns is essential for designing targeted interventions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

The numbers in context

n=1,476; males: family stressors APR=2.31 and sleep problems APR=2.07 for marijuana use; females: neighborhood stressors APR=1.72 for marijuana use; different stressors predicted different substances

How the study worked

Data from 1,476 Black adults with criminal justice involvement from the National Survey of American Life. Sex-separate generalized linear models estimated adjusted prevalence ratios for lifetime alcohol abuse, cigarette, and marijuana use. Independent variables included five stressor types and sleep problems.

What this study cannot tell us

Cross-sectional survey cannot establish whether stressors precede marijuana use or vice versa. Self-reported lifetime use may be subject to recall bias. National Survey of American Life data may not represent current patterns. Criminal justice contact itself may be both a cause and consequence of substance use.

How to read the evidence

Large nationally representative subsample with sex-stratified analysis and appropriate statistical methods provides moderate evidence, limited by cross-sectional design and self-report.

When this study was published

2025 publication using National Survey of American Life data

The bigger picture

This study applies a social determinants of health framework to substance use, showing that structural factors like neighborhood environment, family dysfunction, and sleep disruption drive marijuana use in a population already marginalized by criminal justice contact. Addressing upstream determinants may be more effective than substance-focused interventions alone.

Questions still open

Would addressing family stressors reduce marijuana use among Black men with criminal justice involvement? Why do neighborhood stressors drive marijuana use specifically in women?

Common questions

Why did men and women show different risk factors?

For men, family stressors and sleep problems were the strongest predictors of marijuana use. For women, neighborhood stressors (such as community disorder and safety concerns) were more important. These differences may reflect gendered experiences of stress and coping in marginalized communities.

How does criminal justice contact relate to substance use?

Criminal justice involvement creates additional stressors (employment barriers, family disruption, social stigma) that compound existing stressors, potentially driving substance use as a coping mechanism. The relationship is bidirectional, as substance use can also lead to criminal justice contact.

Read the original research

Social Determinants of Substance Use in Black Adults with Criminal Justice Contact: Do Sex, Stressors, and Sleep Matter?

International journal of environmental research and public health, 22(8)

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Archibald, Paul; Rhodes, Dasha; Thorpe, Roland. (2025). Social Determinants of Substance Use in Black Adults with Criminal Justice Contact: Do Sex, Stressors, and Sleep Matter?. International journal of environmental research and public health, 22(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081176