Teens and young adults participated in systems science workshops and identified 14 feedback loops showing how romantic relationship stress and cannabis use reinforce each other in their communities.
Prevention program designers and youth-serving professionals.
14 feedback loops connecting relationship stress and cannabis use
What the researchers found
The causal loop diagram generated by youth featured 14 feedback loops across three domains: within-relationship behaviors, factors proximal to marijuana use, and influences on the partner pool. Stress and dysfunctional relationship behaviors fed back to magnify relationship problems and fuel cannabis use in reinforcing cycles.
Why it matters
Prevention programs typically address cannabis use in isolation. This youth-generated systems model reveals how relationship dynamics, stress, and cannabis use are interconnected in reinforcing loops, suggesting that interventions targeting relationship skills could also reduce cannabis use.
The numbers in context
2 groups of youth aged 15-20. 4 workshops of 2 hours each. 14 feedback loops identified (both balancing and reinforcing). 3 interconnected domains mapped.
How the study worked
Group model building, a systems science approach, with two independent groups of youth aged 15-20 recruited from clinic and community settings. Each group participated in four 2-hour structured workshops to build causal loop diagrams representing their mental models of how social dynamics influence cannabis use.
What this study cannot tell us
Causal loop diagrams represent participants' mental models, not empirically validated causal pathways. Small, convenience sample from one geographic area. The model has not been tested with quantitative data.
How to read the evidence
Qualitative systems science approach. Novel methodology generating hypotheses rather than testing them.
When this study was published
Published in 2025.
The bigger picture
Engaging youth in systems thinking about their own substance use provides insights that adult-designed surveys often miss. The finding that relationship dysfunction and cannabis use feed each other suggests that comprehensive prevention programs addressing both issues simultaneously may be more effective.
Questions still open
- Would interventions targeting relationship skills also reduce cannabis use? Can the feedback loops identified by youth be validated with longitudinal data?
Common questions
What is group model building?
Why involve youth in building the model?
Read the original research
Model Building with Youth: Applying a System Science Approach to Examine the Dynamic Social Context of Adolescent and Young Adult Marijuana Use.
Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 26(1), 122-137
Citation
Matson, Pamela A; Flessa, Sarah; Stankov, Ivana; Fortenberry, J Dennis; Trent, Maria; Frerichs, Leah; Lich, Kristen Hassmiller. (2025). Model Building with Youth: Applying a System Science Approach to Examine the Dynamic Social Context of Adolescent and Young Adult Marijuana Use.. Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 26(1), 122-137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-025-01774-2
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