More frequent cannabis use in college students was linked to more hallucinations and delusional thinking
Among 1,034 US college students, higher weekly cannabis use was associated with more hallucinatory experiences and delusional ideation, with the hallucination link remaining significant after controlling for depression.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Greater weekly cannabis use was associated with increased hallucinatory experiences (persisting after controlling for depression) and delusional ideation (not persisting after depression adjustment). Heavier cannabis users reported more distressing delusional ideas held with greater conviction.
Key Numbers
Sample: 1,034 college students. Measured: past-week cannabis use, hallucinatory experiences, delusional ideation, depression. Cannabis-hallucination link: significant after depression adjustment. Cannabis-delusion link: not significant after depression adjustment.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional survey of 1,034 US college students using validated questionnaires: Peters Delusions Inventory for delusional ideation, Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended for hallucinations, and Beck Depression Inventory for depression.
Why This Research Matters
Subclinical psychotic experiences that are severe and distressing are linked to increased risk of developing a psychotic disorder, making the cannabis-psychotic experience connection clinically relevant even in non-clinical populations.
The Bigger Picture
The fact that the hallucination association survived depression adjustment while delusions did not suggests cannabis may affect different psychotic experience types through different mechanisms.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design cannot determine direction of causation. Self-reported cannabis use. No information on cannabis potency or strain. College student sample may not generalize.
Questions This Raises
- ?Why do hallucinations and delusions show different relationships with cannabis after controlling for depression?
- ?At what frequency does cannabis use become meaningfully linked to psychotic experiences?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis-hallucination link remained significant even after controlling for depression
- Evidence Grade:
- Reasonably large sample with validated instruments, but cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2021.
- Original Title:
- Relationship between cannabis use and psychotic experiences in college students.
- Published In:
- Schizophrenia research, 231, 198-204 (2021)
- Authors:
- Wright, Abigail C(3), Cather, Corinne(4), Farabaugh, Amy, Terechina, Olga, Pedrelli, Paola, Nyer, Maren, Fava, Maurizio, Holt, Daphne J
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03621
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Is cannabis use linked to psychotic-like experiences in college students?
Yes. Students who used more cannabis reported more hallucinations and delusional thinking, with heavier users reporting more distressing symptoms.
Could depression explain the cannabis-psychosis link?
Partially. The link between cannabis and delusional ideation weakened after accounting for depression, but the hallucination association remained significant.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03621APA
Wright, Abigail C; Cather, Corinne; Farabaugh, Amy; Terechina, Olga; Pedrelli, Paola; Nyer, Maren; Fava, Maurizio; Holt, Daphne J. (2021). Relationship between cannabis use and psychotic experiences in college students.. Schizophrenia research, 231, 198-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2021.04.004
MLA
Wright, Abigail C, et al. "Relationship between cannabis use and psychotic experiences in college students.." Schizophrenia research, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2021.04.004
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Relationship between cannabis use and psychotic experiences ..." RTHC-03621. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/wright-2021-relationship-between-cannabis-use
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.