Historique
Article de Périodique
Alcohol and cannabis use among college students: Substitutes or complements? (2016)
Auteur(s) :
O'HARA, R. E. ;
ARMELI, S. ;
TENNEN, H.
Année
2016
Page(s) :
1-6
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Alcool / Alcohol ; Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
EPI (Epidémiologie / Epidemiology)
Thésaurus géographique
ETATS-UNIS
Thésaurus mots-clés
ADOLESCENT
;
ALCOOL
;
CANNABIS
;
PRODUIT DE SUBSTITUTION
;
STRATEGIE ACTIVE D'ADAPTATION
;
POLYCONSOMMATION
Résumé :
Aims: Economists debate whether changes in availability of alcohol or cannabis are positively or negatively related to changes in use of the other substance. Implicit in these arguments are two competing, individual-level hypotheses - that people use alcohol and cannabis either as complements or substitutes for one another. This is the first study to test these hypotheses using micro-longitudinal data on individuals' alcohol and cannabis use on a given evening.
Methods: United States college students who use alcohol and cannabis (n = 876) were selected from a larger sample who participated in a 30-day online daily diary study. At baseline, students reported their proclivity to use alcohol/drugs to cope with stress. Each day students reported their level of alcohol use from the prior evening as well as whether they had used cannabis.
Results: Evening levels of alcohol use and mean levels of alcohol use positively predicted the likelihood of evening cannabis use, results indicative of complementary use. This relation, however, was moderated by coping style, such that students who were more likely to use alcohol/drugs to cope were less likely to use cannabis as their evening or mean alcohol use levels increased, results indicative of substitution.
Conclusions: Substance-using college students showed evidence for complementary alcohol and cannabis use at both the within- and between-person levels. Students with a proclivity toward using alcohol/drugs to cope, however, showed evidence of substitution. These findings suggest that studies based on economic theories of substance use should take into account individual differences in substance use motives.
Highlights:
College students reported alcohol and cannabis co-use approximately once per month.
Students who were less likely to use drugs to cope showed complementary drug use.
Students who were more likely to use drugs to cope showed drug substitution.
The substitute vs. complement debate may be informed by individual differences.
Methods: United States college students who use alcohol and cannabis (n = 876) were selected from a larger sample who participated in a 30-day online daily diary study. At baseline, students reported their proclivity to use alcohol/drugs to cope with stress. Each day students reported their level of alcohol use from the prior evening as well as whether they had used cannabis.
Results: Evening levels of alcohol use and mean levels of alcohol use positively predicted the likelihood of evening cannabis use, results indicative of complementary use. This relation, however, was moderated by coping style, such that students who were more likely to use alcohol/drugs to cope were less likely to use cannabis as their evening or mean alcohol use levels increased, results indicative of substitution.
Conclusions: Substance-using college students showed evidence for complementary alcohol and cannabis use at both the within- and between-person levels. Students with a proclivity toward using alcohol/drugs to cope, however, showed evidence of substitution. These findings suggest that studies based on economic theories of substance use should take into account individual differences in substance use motives.
Highlights:
College students reported alcohol and cannabis co-use approximately once per month.
Students who were less likely to use drugs to cope showed complementary drug use.
Students who were more likely to use drugs to cope showed drug substitution.
The substitute vs. complement debate may be informed by individual differences.
Affiliation :
Department of Psychiatry, Farmington, CT, USA