Cannabis use frequency, cognitive self-perception, and anxiety are the strongest predictors of use disorder severity in young adults

Of 71 candidate variables, five predicted CUD severity: more frequent cannabis use in the past 90 days, greater expectations that cannabis causes cognitive/behavioral impairment, greater self-reported metacognitive deficits, greater anxiety, and lower reaction time variability on sustained attention (though this last variable was less robust).

Data-driven, hypothesis-free analysis of 76 young adults (ages 18-25) who used cannabis at least weekly. Seventy-one candidate variables spanning demographics, mood, personality, substance use, and cognition were examined. Stepwise multivariable selection with internal validation.

Rather than assuming what drives cannabis use disorder severity, this study let the data identify the strongest correlates. The finding that cognitive self-perception matters more than actual cognitive performance suggests that how users think about their impairment matters.

As cannabis becomes more normalized, identifying who develops problematic use becomes critical. These predictors could help screen young adults who are at risk for developing more severe cannabis use disorder.

Small sample (n=76). Cross-sectional design. All participants were already weekly users, so results may not generalize to less frequent users. Hypothesis-free approach may miss theoretically important variables.