Examining the Role of Affect in Young Adult's Willingness to Engage in Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use

Prior work suggests that specific motivations and day-level affect impact young adults' simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use (SAM use) behaviors, yet less is known about the influences of momentary affect experienced during the opportunity to move from single to simultaneous use on their decision to engage in SAM use.

Two within-subjects, scenario-based studies were conducted to examine how momentary affect during a hypothetical opportunity to move from alcohol to simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use, impacts young adults' willingness to engage in SAM use. Study 1 (N = 212) recruited a convenience sample of college students, while Study 2 (N = 170) recruited a sample of Black, Hispanic, or Multiracial young adults using Prolific. Three hypothetical scenarios were developed, where young adults reported the extent to which they were willing to take a hit of a joint when already under the influence of alcohol, and feeling (i) excited/confident, (ii) anxious/uncertain, or (iii) affect absent. Young adults also reported varying histories of lifetime marijuana use.

Across studies, young adults anticipated a greater willingness to engage in SAM use when they imagined feeling confident/excited and in the affect absent scenario, compared to when feeling anxious/uncertain. Willingness ratings in the confident/excited scenario did not differ from the affect absent scenario. Further, abstainers reported the greatest willingness when feeling confident/excited, followed by affect absent, and reported the lowest willingness when feeling anxious/uncertain. For experimental and experienced marijuana users, willingness was the lowest when feeling anxious/uncertain compared to feeling confident/excited and affect absent.

Collectively, our findings show support for the influence of momentary affect on SAM use decisions via the socially reactive pathway of information processing, and has important implications for future prevention and intervention efforts.