Childhood trauma linked to problematic cannabis use through coping motives in young adults
Among 339 young adult cannabis users, childhood trauma was linked to more problematic cannabis use one year later, and this relationship was primarily explained by using cannabis to cope with emotional distress.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Coping motives uniquely mediated the association between multiple types of childhood trauma (physical abuse, neglect, sexual trauma) and problematic cannabis use one year later. Emotional and physical abuse were also associated with pain motives, and sexual abuse with sleep motives. Using cannabis for coping and attention/focus was associated with more problematic use, while using it for sleep was associated with less problematic use.
Key Numbers
339 participants followed for one year. Coping motives mediated the trauma-to-problematic-use pathway across physical abuse, neglect, and sexual trauma. Sleep motives were inversely associated with problematic use.
How They Did This
Longitudinal study of 339 medical cannabis patient and non-patient young adult users from Los Angeles, assessed at baseline and one year later. Mediation analysis examined how cannabis use motives connected childhood trauma to problematic use, controlling for age, socioeconomic status, perceived stress, and baseline problematic use.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding why trauma leads to problematic cannabis use (through coping motives specifically) identifies a targetable mechanism for prevention, rather than simply warning trauma survivors not to use cannabis.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that sleep-motivated cannabis use was associated with less problematic use while coping-motivated use predicted more problems suggests that why someone uses cannabis may matter more than whether they use it.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Self-report data. Los Angeles sample may not generalize. Medical and non-medical users combined. Cannot rule out other mediating variables. Problematic use measures may overlap with coping behaviors.
Questions This Raises
- ?Could teaching alternative coping skills reduce problematic cannabis use in trauma survivors?
- ?Should screening for trauma and use motives be standard in cannabis-related healthcare?
- ?Why is sleep-motivated use protective?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Coping motives linked trauma to problematic use; sleep motives did not
- Evidence Grade:
- Longitudinal design with one-year follow-up and appropriate statistical controls, but self-report and single-city sample.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022.
- Original Title:
- Coping Motives Mediate the Association of Trauma History with Problematic Cannabis Use in Young Adult Medical Cannabis Patients and Non-Patient Cannabis Users.
- Published In:
- Substance use & misuse, 57(5), 684-697 (2022)
- Authors:
- Brammer, Whitney A(2), Conn, Bridgid M(9), Iverson, Ellen(8), Lankenau, Stephen E, Dodson, Chaka, Wong, Carolyn F
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03728
Evidence Hierarchy
Follows a group of people over time to track how outcomes develop.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does childhood trauma lead to problematic cannabis use?
In this study, trauma was associated with more problematic cannabis use one year later, but the connection was specifically explained by using cannabis to cope with emotional distress rather than trauma directly causing problematic use.
Are all reasons for using cannabis equally risky?
No. Using cannabis to cope with distress or improve attention/focus was associated with more problematic use, while using it specifically for sleep was associated with less problematic use. The motivation behind use appears to matter significantly.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03728APA
Brammer, Whitney A; Conn, Bridgid M; Iverson, Ellen; Lankenau, Stephen E; Dodson, Chaka; Wong, Carolyn F. (2022). Coping Motives Mediate the Association of Trauma History with Problematic Cannabis Use in Young Adult Medical Cannabis Patients and Non-Patient Cannabis Users.. Substance use & misuse, 57(5), 684-697. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2022.2026970
MLA
Brammer, Whitney A, et al. "Coping Motives Mediate the Association of Trauma History with Problematic Cannabis Use in Young Adult Medical Cannabis Patients and Non-Patient Cannabis Users.." Substance use & misuse, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2022.2026970
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Coping Motives Mediate the Association of Trauma History wit..." RTHC-03728. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/brammer-2022-coping-motives-mediate-the
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.