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Personal strivings and marijuana use initiation, frequency, and problems.
Jeffrey S Simons1, Kate B Carey
1Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA. jsimons@usd.edu
Addictive Behaviors
|August 14, 2003
Summary
Young adults perceive less conflict between marijuana use and personal goals, leading to increased use initiation and frequency. Marijuana use frequency fully mediated the link between use-striving conflict and related problems.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Substance Use Research
- Addiction Studies
Background:
- Personal strivings, or higher-order goals, can influence behaviors like substance use.
- Understanding the interplay between personal goals and marijuana use is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between perceived conflict/utility of marijuana use in achieving personal goals and marijuana use initiation, frequency, and problems.
- To investigate potential gender differences in this relationship.
Main Methods:
- 592 young adults listed personal strivings and evaluated the conflict/utility of marijuana use in achieving them.
- Statistical analyses examined associations between use-striving conflict, use initiation, frequency, and problems.
Main Results:
- Lower perceived conflict between marijuana use and personal strivings correlated with higher use initiation and frequency.
- A gender interaction indicated this association was stronger for men.
- Marijuana use frequency fully mediated the link between use-striving conflict and marijuana-related problems.
Conclusions:
- Perceived congruence between marijuana use and personal goals is a significant factor in young adult use.
- Interventions may benefit from addressing the perceived utility of marijuana in goal pursuit.
- Use frequency is a key mechanism linking goal conflict to negative marijuana-related outcomes.