Impulsive, Socially Anxious Young Men Were Most at Risk for Coping-Driven Cannabis Use
Among emerging adult cannabis users, socially anxious males with high negative urgency were at greatest risk for using cannabis to cope, which in turn predicted more cannabis-related problems.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Higher social anxiety predicted elevated cannabis use and problems via coping motives, but only for males higher in negative urgency. The mediated moderation model showed that the combination of social anxiety and impulsivity specifically drove coping-motivated use and subsequent problems in male emerging adults.
Key Numbers
Sample: emerging adult undergraduates with past 6-month cannabis use. Effect found only in males with high negative urgency. Social anxiety predicted use and problems through coping motives in this subgroup.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional online survey of emerging adult undergraduates who reported past six-month cannabis use. Mediated moderation analysis tested whether negative urgency moderated the path from social anxiety to cannabis outcomes through coping motives.
Why This Research Matters
Identifying which subgroups of cannabis users are most at risk for problems helps target prevention efforts. This study points to a specific combination of traits (male, socially anxious, impulsive) that predicts problematic cannabis use patterns.
The Bigger Picture
This adds to the literature showing that cannabis risk is not uniform. The intersection of personality traits, gender, and use motives creates specific vulnerability profiles that could inform targeted interventions.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design limits causal inference. Self-selected undergraduate sample. Only examined past 6-month use. Effect specific to males, limiting generalizability. Did not measure cannabis type or dose.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would interventions targeting negative urgency reduce coping-motivated cannabis use?
- ?Does this pattern hold in non-college populations?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Cross-sectional survey with a specific undergraduate sample and gender-limited findings places this at preliminary evidence.
- Study Age:
- Recent cross-sectional study of US undergraduates.
- Original Title:
- Negative urgency increases risk for coping-motivated cannabis outcomes in socially anxious male emerging adult cannabis users.
- Published In:
- Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 73(9), 3636-3643 (2025)
- Authors:
- Single, Alanna(2), Mota, Natalie(3), Keough, Matthew T(4)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07670
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What is negative urgency?
Negative urgency is the tendency to act impulsively when experiencing negative emotions. People high in this trait are more likely to make rash decisions when upset or distressed.
Why is this specific to males?
The study found the link between social anxiety, impulsivity, coping motives, and cannabis problems only in males. Women with the same traits did not show the same pattern, suggesting gender-specific vulnerability pathways.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07670APA
Single, Alanna; Mota, Natalie; Keough, Matthew T. (2025). Negative urgency increases risk for coping-motivated cannabis outcomes in socially anxious male emerging adult cannabis users.. Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 73(9), 3636-3643. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2435936
MLA
Single, Alanna, et al. "Negative urgency increases risk for coping-motivated cannabis outcomes in socially anxious male emerging adult cannabis users.." Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2435936
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Negative urgency increases risk for coping-motivated cannabi..." RTHC-07670. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/single-2025-negative-urgency-increases-risk
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.