Abstract
The association of cannabis use and suicidal ideations in adolescents and young adults has been inconsistent. This discrepancy may reflect differences in controlled confounders but also the lack of consideration of the relationships between confounders. In particular, few studies have examined whether controlled variables mediated rather than confounded the relationship between cannabis use and suicide. Participants were 1034 college students who completed questionnaires assessing cannabis use and symptoms of cannabis use disorder (CUD), suicidal ideation, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and borderline personality traits. The dichotomic variable cannabis use versus non-use was not a significant independent predictor of suicidal ideation. Among cannabis users, the association between symptoms of CUD and suicidal ideation was significant before adjustment for confounding variables. The loss of significance of this association after control for confounders reflected the mediating effects of depressive symptoms and borderline traits on the relationship between symptoms of CUD and suicidal ideation.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
References
Adamson, S. J., Kay-Lambkin, F. J., Baker, A. L., Lewin, T. J., Thornton, L., Kelly, B. J., & Sellman, J. D. (2010). An improved brief measure of cannabis misuse: the Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test-Revised (CUDIT-R). Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 110, 137–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.02.017.
Bornovalova, M. A., Verhulst, B., Webber, T., McGue, M., Iacono, W. G., & Hicks, B. M. (2018). Genetic and environmental influences on the codevelopment among borderline personality disorder traits, major depression symptoms, and substance use disorder symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood. Development and Psychopathology, 30, 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579417000463.
Bruno, R., Marshall, S., & Adamson, S. (2013). Screening for DSM-5 cannabis dependence using the Cannabis Use Identification Test-Revised (CUDIT-R). Poster presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.
Chabrol, H., Chauchard, E., & Girabet, J. (2008). Cannabis use and suicidal behaviors in high-school students. Addictive Behaviors, 33, 152–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2007.04.029.
Chabrol H, Melioli T, Goutaudier N (2014) Cannabis use and suicidal ideations in high-school students. Addict Behav 39(12):1766–1768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.06.008
Cuffe, S. P., McKeown, R. E., Addy, C. L., & Garrison, C. Z. (2005). Family and psychosocial risk factors in a longitudinal epidemiological study of adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 121–129. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200502000-00004.
Delforterie, M. J., Lynskey, M. T., Huizink, A. C., Creemers, H. E., Grant, J. D., Few, L. R., et al. (2015). The relationship between cannabis involvement and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 150, 98–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.02.019.
Devi, W. R., & Prakash, J. (2015). Anxiety: an independent potential risk factor for suicidal ideation among college students. International Journal of Psychology and Psychiatry, 3, 92–105. https://doi.org/10.5958/2320-6233.2015.00019.X.
Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., & Swain-Campbell, N. (2002). Cannabis use and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence and young adulthood. Addiction, 97, 112–1135. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00103.x.
Garlow, S. J., Rosenberg, J., Moore, J. D., Haas, A. P., Koestner, B., Hendin, H., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2008). Depression, desperation, and suicidal ideation in college students: results from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention College Screening Project at Emory University. Depression and Anxiety, 25, 482–488. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20321.
Garrison, C. Z., Addy, C. L., Jackson, K. L., McKeown, R. E., & Waller, J. L. (1991). A longitudinal study of suicidal ideation in young adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 597–603. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199107000-00011.
Gosling, S. D., Vazire, S., Srivastava, S., & John, O. P. (2004). Should we trust web-based studies? A comparative analysis of six preconceptions about internet questionnaires. American psychologist, 59(2), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.2.93.
Hyler, S. E. (1994). Personality Questionnaire (PDQ-4+). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Jeglic, E. L., Pepper, C. M., Vanderhoff, H. A., & Ryabchenko, K. A. (2007). An analysis of suicidal ideation in a college sample. Archives of Suicide Research, 11, 41–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811110600897176.
Kandel, D. B., Davies, M., Karus, D., & Yamaguchi, K. (1986). The consequences in young adulthood of adolescent drug involvement: an overview. Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 746–754. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1986.01800080032005.
Kroenke, K., & Spitzer, R. L. (2002). The PHQ-9: a new depression diagnostic and severity measure. Psychiatric annals, 32(9), 509-515. https://doi.org/10.3928/0048-5713-20020901-06.
Leadbeater, B. J., Ames, M. E., & Linden-Carmichael, A. N. (2019). Age-varying effects of cannabis use frequency and disorder on symptoms of psychosis, depression and anxiety in adolescents and adults. Addiction, 114(2), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14459.
Lev-Ran, S., Roerecke, M., Le Foll, B., George, T. P., McKenzie, K., & Rehm, J. (2014). The association between cannabis use and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Medicine, 44(4), 797–810. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291713001438.
Patton, G. C., Harris, R., Carlin, J. B., Hibbert, M. E., Coffey, C., Schwartz, M., et al. (1997). Adolescent suicidal behaviours: a population-based study of risk. Psychological Medicine, 27, 715–724. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003329179600462X.
Pedersen, W. (2008). Does cannabis use lead to depression and suicidal behaviours? A population-based longitudinal study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 118, 395–403. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01259.
Ploskonka, R. A., & Servaty-Seib, H. L. (2015). Belongingness and suicidal ideation in college students. Journal of American College Health, 63, 81–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2014.983928.
Price, C., Hemmingsson, T., Lewis, G., Zammit, S., & Allebeck, P. (2009). Cannabis and suicide: longitudinal study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 195(6), 492–497. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.109.065227.
Rasic, D., Kisely, S., & Langille, D. B. (2011). Protective associations of importance of religion and frequency of service attendance with depression risk, suicidal behaviours and substance use in adolescents in Nova Scotia, Canada. Journal of Affective Disorders, 132, 389–395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.09.009.
Rossow, I., Hawton, K., & Ystgaard, M. (2009). Cannabis use and deliberate self-harm in adolescence: a comparative analysis of associations in England and Norway. Archives of Suicide Research, 13, 340–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811110903266475.
Sharp, C., Green, K. L., Yaroslavsky, I., Venta, A., Zanarini, M. C., & Pettit, J. (2012). The incremental validity of borderline personality disorder relative to major depressive disorder for suicidal ideation and deliberate self-harm in adolescents. Journal of Personality Disorders, 26, 927–938. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.2012.26.6.927.
Silins, E., Horwood, L. J., Patton, G. C., Fergusson, D. M., Olsson, C. A., Hutchinson, D. M., et al. (2014). Young adult sequelae of adolescent cannabis use: an integrative analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1, 286–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(14)70307-4.
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Archives of internal medicine, 166(10),1092-1097. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092.
Swahn, M. H., Bossarte, R. M., Choquet, M., Hassler, C., Falissard, B., & Chau, N. (2012). Early substance use initiation and suicide ideation and attempts among students in France and the United States. International Journal of Public Health, 57, 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-011-0255-7.
van Ours, J. C., Williams, J., Fergusson, D., & Horwood, L. J. (2013). Cannabis use and suicidal ideation. Journal of Health Economics, 32, 524–537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2013.02.002.
Wilcox, H. C., Arria, A. M., Caldeira, K. M., Vincent, K. B., Pinchevsky, G. M., & O'Grady, K. E. (2010). Prevalence and predictors of persistent suicide ideation, plans, and attempts during college. Journal of Affective Disorders, 127, 287–294 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2010.04.017.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Informed Consent
All participants took part voluntarily and were informed about the objectives of the study.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the university’s research ethics committee and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chabrol, H., Chassagne, J., Henry, L. et al. Influence of Cannabis Use Disorder Symptoms on Suicidal Ideation in College Students. Int J Ment Health Addiction 19, 865–871 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00201-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00201-2