Objective Identification of Cannabis Use Levels in Clinical Populations Is Critical for Detecting Pharmacological Outcomes

Cannabis use does not show homogeneous patterns in a country. In particular, urbanization appears to influence prevalence rates, with higher rates in urban areas. A hierarchical linear model (HLM) was employed to analyze these structural influences on individuals in Switzerland. Data for this analysis were taken from the Switzerland survey of Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Study, the most recent survey to assess drug use in a nationally representative sample of 3473 15-year-olds. A total of 1487 male and 1620 female students indicated their cannabis use and their attributions of drug use to friends. As second level variables we included address density in the 26 Swiss Cantons as an indicator of urbanization and officially recorded offences of cannabis use in the Cantons as an indicator of repressive policy. Attribution of drug use to friends is highly correlated with cannabis use. The correlation is even more pronounced in urban Cantons. However, no association between recorded offences and cannabis use was found. The results suggest that structural variables influence individuals. Living in an urban area effects the attribution of drug use to friends. On the other hand repressive policy does not affect individual use.

Download Full-text

Cannabis-associated arteritis

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000004 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 43-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Grotenhermen

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Case Reports ◽

Case Series ◽

Cardiovascular Effects ◽

Causative Factor ◽

Cannabis Use ◽

Thromboangiitis Obliterans ◽

Pathological Features ◽

Scientific Support ◽

Clinical And Pathological Features

Background: To investigate the hypothesis that cases of arteritis similar to thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) and associated with the use of cannabis were caused by cannabis or THC (dronabinol), or that cannabis use is a co-factor of TAO. Patients and methods: A systematic review on case reports and the literature on so-called cannabis arteritis, TAO, and cardiovascular effects of cannabinoids was conducted. Results: Fifteen reports with 57 cases of an arteritis associated with the use of cannabis and two additional case series of TAO, in which some patients also used cannabis, were identified. Clinical and pathological features of cannabis-associated arteritis do not differ from TAO and the major risk factor of TAO, tobacco use, was present in most, if not in all of these cases. The proposed pathophysiological mechanisms for the development of an arteritis by cannabis use are not substantiated. Conclusions: The hypothesis of cannabis being a causative factor or co-factor of TAO or an arteritis similar to TAO is not supported by the available evidence. The use of the term cannabis arteritis should be avoided until or unless more convincing scientific support is forthcoming.

Download Full-text

Measurement Invariance of the Parent Version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Across Community and Clinical Populations

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000339 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 238-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Iris A. M. Smits ◽

Meinou H. C. Theunissen ◽

Sijmen A. Reijneveld ◽

Maaike H. Nauta ◽

Marieke E. Timmerman

Keyword(s):

Measurement Invariance ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Community Sample ◽

Strengths And Difficulties Questionnaire ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

Favorable Result ◽

Strengths And Difficulties ◽

Parent Version ◽

Clinical Populations

Abstract. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a popular screening instrument for the detection of social-emotional and behavioral problems in children in community and clinical settings. To sensibly compare SDQ scores across these settings, the SDQ should measure psychosocial difficulties and strengths in the same way across community and clinical populations, that is, the SDQ should be measurement invariant across both populations. We examined whether measurement invariance of the parent version of the SDQ holds using data from a community sample (N = 707) and a clinical sample (N = 931). The results of our analysis suggest that measurement invariance of the SDQ parent version across community and clinical populations is tenable, implying that one can compare the SDQ scores of children across these populations. This is a favorable result since it is common clinical practice to interpret the scores of a clinical individual relative to norm scores that are based on community samples. The findings of this study support the continued use of the parent version of the SDQ in community and clinical settings.

Download Full-text