Attachment Anxiety Amplifies Cannabis-Related Depression Risk
People with higher attachment anxiety experienced a stronger link between problematic cannabis use and depression, with the combination of high anxiety and avoidance predicting the greatest increases in depressive symptoms over time.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Attachment anxiety significantly moderated the cannabis-depression association at both timepoints (p=0.013 at T1, p=0.002 at T2), and a longitudinal three-way interaction (p=0.014) showed that depression increases were greatest among individuals high in both attachment anxiety and avoidance.
Key Numbers
N=1,745 (412 lifetime users); two timepoints (2024-2025); attachment anxiety moderation p=0.013 (T1), p=0.002 (T2); three-way interaction p=0.014; avoidance showed paradoxical buffering effect among users
How They Did This
Two-wave longitudinal study of 1,745 Israeli adults (412 lifetime cannabis users) assessed at T1 (2024) and T2 (2025) using ASSIST, PHQ-9, and ECR measures, with cross-sectional moderation models and longitudinal change models.
Why This Research Matters
This study identifies attachment insecurities as a key vulnerability factor that amplifies the depressive impact of cannabis use, suggesting clinical interventions should address emotional regulation alongside substance use.
The Bigger Picture
Understanding that psychological vulnerabilities like attachment insecurity magnify cannabis-related mental health risks could transform treatment approaches from substance-focused to relationship-and-emotion-focused.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Israeli sample may not generalize globally; self-report measures; two timepoints limit understanding of temporal dynamics; cannot establish causality; lifetime cannabis use group includes variable use patterns.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would attachment-focused therapy reduce cannabis-related depression?
- ?Does this interaction hold for other substances?
- ?Why does avoidance appear to buffer the cannabis-depression link?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Longitudinal design with validated instruments and adequate sample size, though limited to two timepoints and self-report measures.
- Study Age:
- Published 2026; data collected 2024-2025.
- Original Title:
- Problematic cannabis use and attachment insecurities as Joint predictors of Depression: Cross-Sectional and longitudinal models.
- Published In:
- Addictive behaviors, 175, 108604 (2026)
- Authors:
- Gliksberg, Or(4), Shmulewitz, Dvora(4), Skvirsky, Vera, Levitin, Maor Daniel, Feingold, Daniel, Kor, Ariel, Lev-Ran, Shaul, Mikulincer, Mario
- Database ID:
- RTHC-08283
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabis cause depression?
The relationship is complex — this study found that problematic cannabis use is linked to depression, but the strength of that link depends heavily on psychological factors like attachment anxiety, suggesting individual vulnerability plays a major role.
Who is most at risk for cannabis-related depression?
People with high attachment anxiety (fear of abandonment, relationship insecurity) showed the strongest cannabis-depression connection, especially when combined with attachment avoidance.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-08283APA
Gliksberg, Or; Shmulewitz, Dvora; Skvirsky, Vera; Levitin, Maor Daniel; Feingold, Daniel; Kor, Ariel; Lev-Ran, Shaul; Mikulincer, Mario. (2026). Problematic cannabis use and attachment insecurities as Joint predictors of Depression: Cross-Sectional and longitudinal models.. Addictive behaviors, 175, 108604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108604
MLA
Gliksberg, Or, et al. "Problematic cannabis use and attachment insecurities as Joint predictors of Depression: Cross-Sectional and longitudinal models.." Addictive behaviors, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108604
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Problematic cannabis use and attachment insecurities as Join..." RTHC-08283. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/gliksberg-2026-problematic-cannabis-use-and
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.