What makes cannabis use disorder treatment work: motivation, coping skills, self-efficacy, and therapeutic relationship
A scoping review found successful CUD treatment depends on duration, motivation enhancement, coping skills, self-efficacy, and therapeutic alliance, while sex, ethnicity, age, and comorbidities predict who benefits most.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Specific mediators: treatment duration, motivation to change, coping skills, self-efficacy, multi-component integration. Common mediators: therapeutic alliance, empathy, expectations, cultural adaptation. Moderators: sex, ethnicity, age, comorbid disorders.
Key Numbers
CUD is the most common first-time drug treatment in EU. Mediators: duration, motivation, coping, self-efficacy. Common factors: alliance, empathy, expectations. Moderators: sex, ethnicity, age, comorbidity.
How They Did This
Scoping review of empirically evaluated studies using defined cannabis-related outcome measures, categorizing factors as mediators or moderators.
Why This Research Matters
CUD is the most common first-time drug treatment reason in the EU. Understanding why some treatments work for some people enables precision-matched care.
The Bigger Picture
Identifying what works and for whom in CUD treatment enables a precision medicine approach to addiction care.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Scoping methodology is broader than systematic review. Heterogeneous studies. Mostly Western, high-income country research.
Questions This Raises
- ?Can treatment be personalized in real-world settings?
- ?Which mediator combinations produce best outcomes?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- CUD is now the most common first-time drug treatment reason in the EU
- Evidence Grade:
- Scoping review provides broad overview but lacks systematic rigor and meta-analytic precision.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2025.
- Original Title:
- Predictors of effective therapy among individuals with Cannabis Use Disorder: a review of the literature.
- Published In:
- European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 275(2), 341-353 (2025)
- Authors:
- Feingold, Daniel(12), Tzur Bitan, Dana, Ferri, Marica, Hoch, Eva
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06445
Evidence Hierarchy
Maps out the available research on a broad question.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What makes cannabis addiction treatment effective?
Key ingredients include sufficient duration, building motivation, learning coping skills, developing self-efficacy, and a good therapeutic relationship.
Does the same treatment work for everyone?
No. Sex, ethnicity, age, and comorbid conditions all predict who benefits from which treatments.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06445APA
Feingold, Daniel; Tzur Bitan, Dana; Ferri, Marica; Hoch, Eva. (2025). Predictors of effective therapy among individuals with Cannabis Use Disorder: a review of the literature.. European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 275(2), 341-353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01781-4
MLA
Feingold, Daniel, et al. "Predictors of effective therapy among individuals with Cannabis Use Disorder: a review of the literature.." European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01781-4
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Predictors of effective therapy among individuals with Canna..." RTHC-06445. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/feingold-2025-predictors-of-effective-therapy
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.