Social Triggers Were Stronger Drivers of Cannabis Use Than Emotions in Daily Life
Daily tracking of 65 young adults with problematic cannabis use found that social and environmental triggers had the strongest associations with cravings and use, while emotional states had surprisingly small effects.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Multilevel network analysis of 3,230 daily observations revealed consistent, clinically meaningful associations between socioenvironmental triggers (being around other users, availability) and cannabis cravings, use, and intoxication. Negative affect was statistically associated with cannabis use and positive affect with intoxication, but these emotional associations were not clinically meaningful in size. Coping strategies showed no meaningful association with cannabis use.
Key Numbers
N=65 young adults, 3,230 observations. Mean CUDIT-R score: 10.38 (problematic use). Socioenvironmental triggers: nearly all clinically meaningful associations (bs>0.10) with cravings, use, and intoxication. Negative/positive affect: statistically significant but not clinically meaningful. Coping strategies: no clinically meaningful associations.
How They Did This
Ecological momentary assessment study collecting 3,230 observations from 65 young adults with problematic cannabis use and interest in reducing use. Multilevel network analysis modeled associations among biopsychosocial factors aligned with social learning, self-medication, and experiential avoidance theories.
Why This Research Matters
Many substance use treatments focus heavily on emotional coping, but this study suggests that for cannabis use, environmental and social triggers may matter more than mood states in daily life. This could shift clinical focus toward situational management strategies.
The Bigger Picture
The dominant theories of substance use emphasize self-medication (using to cope with negative emotions) and experiential avoidance. This study challenges those frameworks for cannabis, suggesting that social learning theory (use driven by environmental cues and social context) may be a better model for understanding daily cannabis use patterns.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small sample (N=65) of young adults interested in reducing use, which may not represent all problematic users. Self-reported momentary assessments. Cannot establish causation from network analysis. Brief measures of affect and coping. Specific to problematic users, not casual users.
Questions This Raises
- ?Should cannabis treatment programs focus more on situational management than emotional coping?
- ?Would avoidance of socioenvironmental triggers be a more effective intervention target?
- ?How do these patterns differ between cannabis and alcohol use?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Social triggers had clinically meaningful effects on use; emotions did not
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate evidence from a well-designed ecological momentary assessment study with advanced network analysis, though limited by small sample size.
- Study Age:
- 2025 study using intensive daily tracking of problematic cannabis users.
- Original Title:
- Examining dynamic patterns of problematic cannabis use: Results from a multilevel network analysis.
- Published In:
- Journal of psychopathology and clinical science, 134(3), 298-307 (2025)
- Authors:
- Piccirillo, Marilyn L, Enkema, Matthew C, Schwebel, Frank J, Canning, Jessica R, Bachowski, Diana, Larimer, Mary E
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07370
Evidence Hierarchy
Follows a group of people over time to track how outcomes develop.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What drives cannabis use in daily life?
This study found that environmental and social triggers, like being around other users or having cannabis available, were the strongest drivers of cravings and use. Emotional states (stress, sadness, happiness) had surprisingly small effects, challenging the idea that people primarily use cannabis to cope with emotions.
Does using cannabis as a coping strategy work?
Coping strategies showed no meaningful association with cannabis use in daily life. This suggests that cannabis use is driven more by habit and social context than by deliberate emotional coping, which has implications for how treatment programs should be designed.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07370APA
Piccirillo, Marilyn L; Enkema, Matthew C; Schwebel, Frank J; Canning, Jessica R; Bachowski, Diana; Larimer, Mary E. (2025). Examining dynamic patterns of problematic cannabis use: Results from a multilevel network analysis.. Journal of psychopathology and clinical science, 134(3), 298-307. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000963
MLA
Piccirillo, Marilyn L, et al. "Examining dynamic patterns of problematic cannabis use: Results from a multilevel network analysis.." Journal of psychopathology and clinical science, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000963
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Examining dynamic patterns of problematic cannabis use: Resu..." RTHC-07370. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/piccirillo-2025-examining-dynamic-patterns-of
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.