Abstract
Adolescence is a developmental period characterised by increased vulnerability to cannabis use disorder (CUD). However, previous investigations of this vulnerability have relied on cross-sectional comparisons and lack a detailed assessment of cannabis quantity, a potentially important confounding factor. Here, we aimed to investigate the one-year course of CUD in adolescents compared to adults who currently use cannabis, adjusting for a comprehensive measure of cannabis quantity. Data are from a one-year observational longitudinal study (CannTeen) of adolescents and adults who currently used cannabis regularly with five waves of assessment at 3-monthly intervals, based in London, UK. Participants were n = 70 adults (26-29, 45.7% female), who did not regularly use cannabis when they were under age 18, and n = 76 adolescents (16-17, 50.0% female). The exposure was adolescent (compared to adult) frequent cannabis use. The primary outcome was CUD symptoms measured using the cannabis use disorder identification test revised (CUDIT-R) at five time points. Models were adjusted for cannabis quantity using mean weekly standard THC units (one unit = 5 mg THC). Other covariates included gender, and whether each session occurred before or during the COVID-19 pandemic. In models adjusted for pre-registered covariates, adolescents scored 3.7 points higher on the CUDIT-R compared to the adult group across the 5 assessment waves (3.66 95% CIs 1.99, 5.34). There was also evidence of a linear reduction in symptoms over time in both groups (-0.47, 95%CIs -0.67, -0.27). Adolescents had persistently increased CUD symptoms compared to adults across the 12-month period. This association was robust after adjusting for the quantity of cannabis consumed and other covariates.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience |
Early online date | 6 May 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 May 2024 |
Data Availability Statement
The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so the research supporting data are not available.Funding
Primary funding for the CannTeen study was supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council (MRC; award number MR/P012728/1) to HVC and TPF. This work was supported in part by grant MR/N0137941/1 for the GW4 BIOMED MRC DTP, awarded to the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, and Exeter from the Medical Research Council (MRC)/UKRI.
Funders | Funder number |
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UK Research and Innovation | |
Medical Research Council | MR/N0137941/1, MR/P012728/1 |
Keywords
- Adolescence
- CannTeen
- Cannabis use disorder
- Longitudinal analysis
- Standard THC units
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Pharmacology (medical)
- Biological Psychiatry