LGBTQ+ Identity and College Cannabis Use: The Role of Lifetime Trauma History

LGBTQ+ people experience elevated cannabis risk attributable to chronic minority stress. A paucity of knowledge of how lifetime traumatic experiences contribute to hazardous cannabis use among LGBTQ+ college students hinders the identification of targeted clinical intervention points. This study characterizes LGBTQ+ college cannabis use and underlying lifetime trauma risks. Cross-sectional online survey data was collected from 322 college students at a northeastern university (M_age = 19.04 ± 1.39 years; 47% assigned male at birth, 53% assigned female at birth; 27% LGBTQ+, 77% cisgender-heterosexual; 84% white). LGBTQ+ college students exhibited greater lifetime trauma (t[315] = -5.90, p < .001, d = -.79) and hazardous cannabis use (t[304] = 2.18, p = .03, d = .30) compared to cisgender-heterosexual counterparts. Lifetime traumatic experiences emerged as a risk mechanism for hazardous cannabis use (b = 0.74, SE = 0.35, p = .04, 95% CI [0.28, 1.31]) and negative cannabis consequences (b = 0.53, SE = 0.24, p = .03, 95% CI [0.18, 0.92]) for LGBTQ+ college students. Findings highlight LGBTQ+ college students as a risk group for cannabis use, potentially explained by elevated rates of lifetime traumatic experiences. Despite the need for longitudinal replication, this theory-driven analysis provides important preliminary findings to inform future research and tailored intervention.