Loss-of-Control-Eating Mediates the Relationship between Cannabis-Related Problems and Eating Pathology

The prevalence of eating pathology among college students has increased significantly in recent years. This coincides with increases in the use of cannabis, both nationally, but also among college students. Problematic cannabis use has been linked to eating pathology in prior research. Research also shows that cannabis may affect appetitive drives linked to food consumption. The current study tested the hypothesis that the association between problem cannabis use and eating pathology was mediated by greater loss of control eating. Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 805 college student cannabis users at a large Southeastern university in the U.S. The sample were primarily Caucasian (76%) and female (65.22%) with an average age of 20.15 (SD = 3.91). Participants completed surveys assessing eating outcomes (loss of control eating and eating pathology), cannabis use, and cannabis-related problems. The analysis used an observed variable path model. After controlling for cannabis use, cannabis-related problems were indirectly linked to eating pathology via loss of control eating (B = 0.109, SE = 0.025, p < .001), supporting the primary hypothesis. The direct relationship between cannabis-related problems and eating pathology was fully accounted for (B = 0.010, SE = 0.028, p = .724) by the indirect effect of loss of control eating. These data suggest that the association between problematic forms of cannabis use and eating pathology may be due to the association between cannabis problems and loss of control eating. While this may be due to changes in appetite and food evaluation as a function of more problematic use patterns, it may also be that individuals with problematic cannabis use have more problematic eating patterns due to deficits in adaptive coping strategies. Future research should seek to parse out these different potential explanations.