A brief cannabis-associated problems questionnaire with less potential for bias

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychometrics
• Substance Use Research

Background:

• Existing measures of cannabis-related problems may exhibit gender bias.
• The Cannabis-Associated Problems Questionnaire (CAPQ) assesses occupational, social, and psychological issues linked to cannabis use.
• Gender differences in CAPQ scores might reflect true disparities or item bias.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and address potential gender-biased items within the CAPQ.
• To develop a psychometrically sound, shorter version of the CAPQ.
• To enhance the utility of the CAPQ for cannabis research.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of responses from a large online sample of current cannabis users.
• Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses to detect gender bias.
• Psychometric evaluation of a revised, shorter CAPQ scale.

Main Results:

• Five items demonstrated differential functioning for men and women, indicating potential bias.
• Omitting these biased items created a shorter CAPQ with comparable psychometric properties to the full scale.
• Correlations with cannabis use indices and gender difference effect sizes remained consistent.

Conclusions:

• A revised, shorter CAPQ effectively mitigates gender bias.
• The shortened scale retains robust psychometric properties and utility.
• This improved CAPQ version is recommended for cannabis research, offering a more equitable assessment tool.