Abstract
Anxiety sensitivity (AS), hopelessness (H), sensation seeking (SS), and impulsivity (IMP) are traits implicated in substance misuse risk. Protective behavioral strategies for marijuana (PBS-M) are behaviors that decrease adverse effects of cannabis use. We hypothesized H, SS, and IMP would be associated with increased adverse cannabis outcomes via decreased PBS-M use, whereas AS would be indirectly associated with decreased cannabis outcomes via increased PBS-M use, and directly associated with increased cannabis-related problems. Analyses were conducted on data from N = 520 past six-month cannabis-using university students who completed measures of personality, PBS-M, cannabis use frequency, and cannabis-related problems. H and IMP were associated with more frequent and problematic cannabis use via decreased PBS-M use. AS was associated with less frequent and problematic cannabis use via increased PBS-M use. PBS-M may prove a useful intervention target to mitigate risk for frequent and problematic cannabis use in university students high on H or IMP.
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Krystal I. Soucy, Sherry H. Stewart, Alexandra Loverock, T. Cameron Wild, and Igor Yakovenko declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Soucy, K.I., Stewart, S.H., Loverock, A. et al. The Mediating Role of Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana in the Relationship Between Personality and Cannabis Use Outcomes. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01203-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01203-x