Fear of Anxiety Symptoms Drives Cannabis Problems in Hispanic/Latine Adults — But Differently for Men and Women
Anxiety sensitivity predicted cannabis problems (but not frequency) in Hispanic/Latine adults, with men driven by conformity and coping motives and women by conformity and expansion motives.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 520 Hispanic/Latine cannabis users, anxiety sensitivity predicted more cannabis problems via conformity motives for both sexes, but via coping motives for men and expansion motives for women — frequency was unaffected.
Key Numbers
520 participants; 44.2% female; AS predicted problems but not frequency; indirect effects via conformity motives (both sexes), coping motives (men), expansion motives (women); sex didn't moderate direct AS-problems association.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional study of 520 Hispanic/Latine adults (44.2% female) with past-month cannabis use, examining anxiety sensitivity associations with cannabis problems, frequency, and motives, with sex as a moderator.
Why This Research Matters
Hispanic/Latine adults experience worse cannabis-related problems but are underrepresented in research — understanding the anxiety-cannabis pathway in this population enables culturally targeted interventions.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that anxiety sensitivity affects cannabis problems through different motivational pathways for men and women suggests sex-specific intervention approaches may be more effective than one-size-fits-all programs.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design; online recruitment may not represent all Hispanic/Latine cannabis users; self-report measures; heterogeneous Hispanic/Latine category may mask subgroup differences.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would anxiety sensitivity-targeted interventions reduce cannabis problems in this population?
- ?How do cultural factors specific to different Hispanic/Latine subgroups influence the AS-cannabis relationship?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Adequately powered study in an underrepresented population with appropriate mediation analysis, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2026 in APA's pharmacology journal, addressing health disparities in cannabis research.
- Original Title:
- Anxiety sensitivity and cannabis-related problems among Hispanic/Latine adults: The roles of sex and cannabis use motives.
- Published In:
- Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 34(1), 100-105 (2026)
- Authors:
- Buckner, Julia D(11), Vargo, Luke A, Thomas, Katharine L, Buenrostro, Christopher M, Shepherd, Justin M, Zvolensky, Michael J
- Database ID:
- RTHC-08141
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some people have more cannabis problems than others?
For Hispanic/Latine adults, fear of anxiety symptoms (anxiety sensitivity) predicted more cannabis problems — not because they used more often, but because of why they used.
Do men and women use cannabis for different reasons?
In this study, men with anxiety sensitivity used cannabis to cope with distress and to conform, while women used it for expansion (mind-altering) experiences and to conform — both pathways leading to more problems.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-08141APA
Buckner, Julia D; Vargo, Luke A; Thomas, Katharine L; Buenrostro, Christopher M; Shepherd, Justin M; Zvolensky, Michael J. (2026). Anxiety sensitivity and cannabis-related problems among Hispanic/Latine adults: The roles of sex and cannabis use motives.. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 34(1), 100-105. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000829
MLA
Buckner, Julia D, et al. "Anxiety sensitivity and cannabis-related problems among Hispanic/Latine adults: The roles of sex and cannabis use motives.." Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000829
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Anxiety sensitivity and cannabis-related problems among Hisp..." RTHC-08141. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/buckner-2026-anxiety-sensitivity-and-cannabisrelated
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.