Individual and contextual predictors of severity of marijuana use events among young frequent users. 2013

Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. lydia.shrier@childrens.harvard.edu

This study used momentary sampling to characterize marijuana events among young frequent users and determine contextual and individual predictors of use severity. Medical clinic outpatients aged 15-24 who used marijuana at least twice a week completed a baseline assessment, then used a handheld computer to report marijuana use at 4-6 signal-prompted times per day and before/after use for 2 weeks. Reports assessed event characteristics (when, with whom, where, how, why, how much, how high). Timestamps identified time, weekend, and duration for each event. Generalized estimating equations tested associations of individual and event-specific contextual characteristics with hits/event, duration, and high. Forty-one youth completed 3868 momentary reports; 40 (98%) reported at least one marijuana use event (N=432 events; M=10.5/participant) and thus provided data for these analyses. Marijuana was most commonly used with other people (74% of events), at home (58%), via blunt (66%), and for social or enhancement reasons (86%). Most events (62%) occurred on weekdays; use was least likely in the morning (8%). Most events involved 6 or more hits (81%). Mean high was 5.2 (out of 8). Of events with start and end times (n=250), mean duration was 46.8 min. Poor mental health and use with a blunt or a bong, in the morning or evening, and on the weekend were associated with 6 or more hits/event. Female gender was associated with greater event duration. Poor mental health predicted higher high. Among youth who used it frequently, marijuana was used in a variety of contexts, with diversity in method, dose, and duration. Contextual factors appeared to predict marijuana dose for a given event, while individual characteristics were more predictive of high and duration.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008385 Marijuana Smoking Inhaling and exhaling SMOKE from CANNABIS. Cannabis Smoking,Hashish Smoking,Marihuana Smoking,Smoking Blunts,Smoking, Blunts,Blunt, Smoking,Blunts Smoking,Blunts Smokings,Blunts, Smoking,Smoking Blunt,Smoking, Cannabis,Smoking, Hashish,Smoking, Marihuana,Smoking, Marijuana,Smokings, Blunts
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D012307 Risk Factors An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent. Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D012720 Severity of Illness Index Levels within a diagnostic group which are established by various measurement criteria applied to the seriousness of a patient's disorder. Illness Index Severities,Illness Index Severity
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor
D014481 United States A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D055815 Young Adult A person between 19 and 24 years of age. Adult, Young,Adults, Young,Young Adults

Related Publications

Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
January 2019, Drug and alcohol dependence,
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
December 2007, Addictive behaviors,
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
November 2010, Addictive behaviors,
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
January 2017, Drug and alcohol dependence,
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
January 2019, Substance use & misuse,
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
April 2021, Journal of drug issues,
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
June 2019, Addiction (Abingdon, England),
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
January 2018, Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.),
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
October 2022, Drug and alcohol dependence,
Lydia A Shrier, and Courtney Walls, and Amanda Rhoads, and Emily A Blood
August 2007, Journal of traumatic stress,
Copied contents to your clipboard!