scholarly journals Emotion Dysregulation Moderates the Association Between Stress and Problematic Marijuana Use

Author(s):  
Jessica Cavalli ◽  
Anita Cservenka

Objective. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance in the United States and in 2018 alone, an estimated 40.3 million adults reported using marijuana in the past year. This is concerning since growing research suggests that marijuana use is associated with adverse health and life outcomes, such as mental health issues, and cognitive impairment. Thus, determining factors that influence marijuana use-related problems is critical for understanding how to effectively implement prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts. Because research has proposed that emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic risk factor for substance use and addiction, the investigation of emotion regulation capabilities in marijuana users is warranted. Furthermore, since prior studies suggest that stress may lead to greater marijuana use-related problems, additional research into how emotion dysregulation may affect these relationships is needed. Thus, the current study examines how emotion dysregulation moderates the association between stress and problematic marijuana use in adults through an online survey. Methods. 852 adults reporting any lifetime marijuana use completed an online survey through Qualtrics. Participants completed a brief demographic questionnaire and were asked to report their past 30-day use of marijuana, alcohol, nicotine, and illicit substances. To assess past month problematic marijuana use, participants completed the Marijuana Problem Scale (MPS). To assess emotion dysregulation, participants completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory (H-RLSI) to assess past month perceived stress and past year stressful life events, respectively. We investigated the association between scores on the DERS, PSS, and H-RLSI with scores on the MPS. Additionally, we conducted hierarchical multiple linear regression models to test whether emotion dysregulation, stress, and their interaction predicted problematic marijuana use. Results. Scores on the DERS (r = .53, p < .001), PSS (r = .13, p < .001), and H-RLSI (r = .32, p < .001) were significantly correlated with scores on the MPS. Additionally, emotion dysregulation (B = .32, p < .001), stressful life events (B = .21, p < .001), and their interaction (B = .07, p = .003) were significant predictors of problematic marijuana use. Finally, emotion dysregulation (B = .44, p < .001), perceived stress (B = -.18, p < .001), and their interaction (B = -.06, p = .04) were significant predictors of problematic marijuana use. Conclusion. These findings indicate that when examined separately, greater emotion dysregulation, experiencing more stressful life events in the past year, and experiencing more perceived stress in the past month were associated with greater problematic marijuana use in the past month. However, when examining the moderating role of emotion dysregulation, more stressful life events and less perceived stress predicted greater problematic marijuana use, and these associations were stronger at higher levels of emotion dysregulation. Overall, these results suggest that emotion dysregulation and greater stress may be risk factors for developing problematic marijuana use, and could be possible targets for prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Cavalli ◽  
Anita Cservenka

Background: Research suggests emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic risk factor for substance use and addiction and that stress may lead to problematic cannabis use. Thus, the current study examines how emotion dysregulation moderates the associations between stress (stressful life events and perceived stress) and problematic cannabis use.Methods: Eight hundred and fifty-two adults reporting any lifetime cannabis use completed an anonymous online survey. Participants completed a brief demographic questionnaire and were asked to report their past 30-day use of cannabis, alcohol, nicotine, and illicit substances. Problematic cannabis use (via the Marijuana Problem Scale), emotion dysregulation (via the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale), perceived stress (via the Perceived Stress Scale), and stressful life events (via the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory) were assessed. Hierarchical multiple linear regressions were conducted.Results: Findings indicate that when examining the moderating role of emotion dysregulation, more stressful life events and less perceived stress were associated with more severe problematic cannabis use, and these associations were stronger at higher levels of emotion dysregulation.Conclusions: These results demonstrate a strong step toward understanding how emotion dysregulation moderates the relationship between stress and problematic cannabis use; however, longitudinal studies are needed to determine directionality of effects. Overall, these results suggest the importance of examining emotion dysregulation as a moderator of both stressful life events and stress perception as they relate to problematic cannabis use.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Vilhjalmsson

Abstract Background Previous research into the psychological consequences of abortion has presented misleading results, as some studies suggest negative consequences and others do not. The current study focuses on the relationship between having or not having an abortion and psychological distress in the form of depression, anxiety and anger. Methods The study uses data from 792 female participants in a random national health survey of Icelandic adults, age 18-75. The survey was conducted in the Spring of 2015. Respondents were given the option of answering an anomymous study questionnaire via mail or online (response rate 58%). The questionnaire asked respondents about psychiatric and physical conditions requiring medical attention in the past 12 months, stressful life-events in the past 12 months, and ongoing life-strains. Female respondents were asked whether or not they had had an induced abortion in the past 12 months. Psychological distress during the past week was assessed with the depression, anxiety, and anger subscales of the SCL-90 checklist. Results Women who had had an abortion (2% of female respondents) reported higher levels of anxiety, depression, and anger than other women. The differences were statistically significant when controlling for age, education, family income, previous psychiatric and physical conditions, and previous stressful life-events and life-strains. Conclusions The study indicates that women who have had an abortion are worse off psychologically than other women, and the difference is only partially accounted for by previous mental and physical health, or previous stressful circumstances. Health services for women considering abortion should be carefully considered, psychological distress assessed, and ways explored to ameliorate the distress they may experience following the abortion. Key messages Abortion is related to higher levels of anxiety, depression and anger in Icelandic women. Health services for women considering abortion should be carefully considered and psychological distress assessed.


Stress ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony S. Zannas ◽  
Douglas R. McQuoid ◽  
David C. Steffens ◽  
George P. Chrousos ◽  
Warren D. Taylor

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. N. Burns ◽  
E. Nawacki ◽  
M. J. Kwasny ◽  
D. Pelletier ◽  
D. C. Mohr

BackgroundStressful life events have long been suspected to contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity. The few studies examining the relationship between stressful events and neuroimaging markers have been small and inconsistent. This study examined whether different types of stressful events and perceived stress could predict the development of brain lesions.MethodThis was a secondary analysis of 121 patients with MS followed for 48 weeks during a randomized controlled trial comparing stress management therapy for MS (SMT-MS) to a waitlist control (WLC). Patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans every 8 weeks. Every month, patients completed an interview measure assessing stressful life events and self-report measures of perceived stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, which were used to predict the presence of gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) and T2 lesions on MRI scans 29–62 days later. Participants classified stressful events as positive or negative. Negative events were considered ‘major’ if they involved physical threat or threat to the patient's family structure, and ‘moderate’ otherwise.ResultsPositive stressful events predicted decreased risk for subsequent Gd+ lesions in the control group [odds ratio (OR) 0.53 for each additional positive stressful event, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30–0.91] and less risk for new or enlarging T2 lesions regardless of group assignment (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.55–0.99). Across groups, major negative stressful events predicted Gd+ lesions (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.18–2.64) and new or enlarging T2 lesions (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.11–2.23) whereas moderate negative stressful events, perceived stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms did not.ConclusionsMajor negative stressful events predict increased risk for Gd+ and T2 lesions whereas positive stressful events predict decreased risk.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutta Lindert ◽  
Lewina O. Lee ◽  
Marc G. Weisskopf ◽  
Martin McKee ◽  
Susanne Sehner ◽  
...  

Objectives: Stressful life events, especially relationship events, are frequent in adult life. We investigated the impact of a variety of stressful life events on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hostility.Methods: We analyzed data from a large prospective cohort study of men (n = 1,437) in the Boston area (assessed in 1985, 1988, and 1991). Main outcomes were measures of depression, anxiety and hostility symptoms. We used the Elders Life Stress Inventory (ELSI) to measure stressful life events in the past 12 months and examine their association with symptoms of depression, anxiety and hostility. First, we analyzed the association of stressful life events with symptom changes; second, we categorized stressful life events into finance/work, health, relationships, loss, living situations events; and third, we estimated the specific association between relationship events and depression, anxiety and hostility symptoms using multilevel models.Results: The most frequent stressful life events were health, relationship, and financial events. Depression, anxiety, and hostility symptoms were relatively stable among men who did not experience these life events. However, those who reported life events in the past 12 months had a greater increase in symptoms of depression (+0.05; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.10) and of hostility (+0.05; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.09) than those who did not. Additionally, we found a significant decrease in hostility (−0.05; 95% CI: −0.08 to −0.01) in those experiencing no life events.Conclusion: Relationship events were more important than any other type of events, and were significantly associated with increased depression and hostility in aging men. Although the effects were small, the results point to a need to understand better the impact of relationships on psychopathology in the aging population.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1575-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Hasan Raza Jafri ◽  
Faisal Ali ◽  
Arash Mollaeian ◽  
Syed Mojiz Hasan ◽  
Rahat Hussain ◽  
...  

1575 Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality linked with smoking, though only 6-18% of heavy smokers die of lung cancer. We hypothesized that major stressful life events are a risk factor for developing lung cancer. Methods: In our matched case-control study, cases (CA) were lung cancer patients diagnosed within past 12 months. Controls (CO) were patients without a prior history of malignancy. CA and CO were matched for age, gender and smoking status. Smokers had at least 10 packs/years history of smoking. Data was collected using standardized research questionnaire on 11 major stressful life events using Holmes and Rahe stress scale. The primary endpoint was odds of having a major stressful life event. A sample of 360 patients (120 CA and 240 CO), was needed to achieve 80% power to detect an odds ratio (OR) of 2.00 using Chi-Square test with a P = 0.05 significance. The study was IRB approved at each institution. Results: Between May 2015 and December 2016, 324 patients were enrolled (23 were excluded due to prior cancer history or incomplete information). 301 (CA = 102; CO = 199) were included in the final analysis. The two groups were well matched in median age (CA = 64.4 years; CO = 63.9years), gender (CA-Male = 48%; CO-Male = 49.2%) and smoking status (ever smoker, CA = 86%; CO = 85%). There was no difference in lifetime stressful life event between CA and CO (95% vs 93.9% P = 0.68%). However, CA were significantly more likely to have had a major stressful life event within the past 5 years than controls (CA = 77.4% vs CO = 65.8%, P = 0.03, (OR = 1.78). Serious life-threatening illness of an immediate family member (P = 0.04) and retirement (P = 0.07) within the past 5 years were noticeably more common among CA. Holmes-Rahe stress score in the last 5 years was higher in men (86.3 vs 63.3, P = 0.07) and those > 65 years old (82.4 vs 57.2,P = 0.04) as compared with CO and in those with squamous histology than with adenocarcinoma (115.6 vs 63.4, P = 0.005). Conclusions: Patients with lung cancer (CA) were significantly more likely to have had a major stressful life event within the past 5 years than the matched controls (CO), especially in older men with squamous histology. Major stressful life events should be considered a risk factor for developing lung cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex M T Russell ◽  
Matthew Browne ◽  
Nerilee Hing ◽  
Tess Visintin ◽  
Stephen Begg ◽  
...  

Do stressful life events cause gambling problems, or do gambling problems cause stressful life events? This study used a retrospective design to examine the temporal order of these associations. Specifically, the study employed a life course calendar in a self-directed online survey to minimise memory biases common in retrospective designs. A total of 1,564 US respondents who had gambled at any point in their life (51.0% female, median age 46) were asked whether, for each year of their adult life, they had experienced each of eight stressful life events, and whether they had engaged in casual or heavy gambling, drinking or drug use, with heavy gambling defined in line with a problem gambling definition. We found that five stressful life events were associated with the onset of heavy gambling: work issues, financial issues, legal issues, relationship issues and the death of a loved one. The same five stressful life events predict the cessation of an episode of heavy gambling, indicating a possible tendency for gambling problems to self-resolve in the presence of stress. Insights are also gained into comorbidities with alcohol and drug use, and the course of stressful life events and gambling and substance use throughout the life course, albeit with a non-representative sample. The methodology allows tentative conclusions in terms of possible causation pathways, indicating that stressful life events may play a role both in the onset and the maintenance (or cessation) of gambling problems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Durga Prasad Pahari ◽  
Radhika Upadhyay ◽  
Chandra Kala Sharma

Introduction: Depression is a major co-morbidity associated with diabetes. This study aims to assess the prevalence and determine factors associated with depression among diabetic patients visiting a diabetes center in Lalitpur, Nepal.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of diabetic patients visiting a diabetes center in Kathmandu, Nepal. 203 diabetic patients were recruited in a period of two months. A validated and reliable Beck Depression Inventory Scale was used to identify and classify depression. Diabetes status was self-reported. Prevalence of depression, socio-demographic and diabetes related characteristics were calculated using frequency and percentages. Association was analyzed using chi-squared test. Statistical significance was determined at p<0.05. Bivariate logistic regression was performed to identify unadjusted odds ratio with 95% CI. Then, multivariate logistic regression model was designed for those variables significant at bivariate level to calculate adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI.Results: The prevalence of depression among diabetic patients was 34% (Mild - 17.7%, Moderate - 13.8% and Severe - 2.5%). Diabetic patients with secondary or above educational level were less than half likely to be affected by depression compared to patients with no formal school education [AOR:0.42]. Similarly, diabetic patients on insulin therapy were twice likely to be affected by depression compared to patients on oral hypoglycemic agents [AOR: 2.08] and patients having other comorbidity along with diabetes were also twice likely to be affected by depression [AOR:2.18]. Patients with stressful life events in the past were twelve times more likely to have depression compared to patients with no such events in the past [AOR: 12.33].Conclusion: More than one third of the diabetic patients have some degree of depression. Factors such as no schooling, being on insulin therapy, having other comorbid conditions along with diabetes and stressful life events in the past among diabetic patients kept them at higher risk of depression. These factors should be focused in program for prevention and control of depression among diabetic patients in Nepal.


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