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Association between affect and cannabis use varies by social context
Rebecca K Denson1, Donald Hedeker2, Robin J Mermelstein3
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|January 12, 2023
Summary
Cannabis use elevates positive mood regardless of social setting. However, negative mood during cannabis use is worse when alone and improved when with others, especially for frequent users.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- Global cannabis use is increasing, necessitating research into contextual factors.
- Limited studies explore cannabis use within naturalistic environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the subjective experience of cannabis use, specifically mood effects.
- To examine how social context (alone vs. with others) modifies these mood effects.
- To explore the link between mood effects, cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptoms, and frequency.
Main Methods:
- Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) used for real-time data collection.
- 200 participants completed baseline and two 7-day EMA waves.
- Mixed-effects models analyzed mood (positive and negative affect) during cannabis use and non-use, considering social context.
Main Results:
- Positive affect increased during cannabis use, irrespective of social context.
- Negative affect during cannabis use was higher when alone and lower when with others.
- Higher CUD symptomatology and frequent cannabis use correlated with lower negative affect during use.
Conclusions:
- Elevated positive affect from cannabis use is consistent across social settings.
- Negative affect experienced during cannabis use is influenced by the presence of others.
- Social context plays a crucial role in modulating the emotional impact of cannabis.
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