Gender differences in circumstances associated with cannabis use

Identifying circumstances associated with cannabis use is critical to the development of effective interventions for cannabis use disorder (CUD) and circumstances may differ by gender. The Inventory of Drug Taking Situations (IDTS) assesses the types of situations in which individuals most often use drugs through eight subscales: dealing with (1) Unpleasant Emotions; (2) Physical Discomfort; (3) Pleasant Emotions; (4) Testing Personal Control; (5) Urges/Temptations; (6) Conflict with Others; (7) Social Pressure; and (8) Pleasant Times with Others. The aims of this study were to determine if IDTS scores varied by gender in individuals with CUD, and to ascertain if behavioral factors such as cannabis use or stress were differentially associated with IDTS scores by gender.

Baseline data were obtained from a study of 148 nontreatment-seeking individuals with CUD. Data included demographic characteristics, IDTS scores, self-reported past 90-day substance use, and measures of past-month and childhood stress.

Women reported using cannabis more than men in negative affective contexts, namely when experiencing conflict with others, testing personal control, physical discomfort, and unpleasant emotions. IDTS subscale scores associated with negative affect and pleasant emotions were positively associated with past 90-day cannabis use sessions across genders, use when experiencing negative affect was associated with childhood stress across genders, and use when experiencing unpleasant emotions was differentially associated with recent stress by gender.

Findings suggest gender differences in circumstances associated with cannabis use with implications for therapeutic development for CUD.