Date of Award

1-1-2023

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Psychology

Content Description

1 online resource (iv, 47 pages) : illustrations

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Mitchell Earleywine

Committee Members

Anna Reiman, Drew Anderson

Keywords

cannabis, expectancies, ptsd, sex differences, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Cannabis

Subject Categories

Psychology

Abstract

Introduction. The widespread, debilitating condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often covaries with cannabis use. A substantial number of individuals report experiencing temporary symptom relief when using cannabis. Nonetheless, most of the existing research that delves into the correlation between PTSD and cannabis use heavily features male samples. This lack of data from women is alarming given the gender discrepancies in cannabis use and cannabis-related expectancies. In this study, our goal is to validate the interplay between expectancies and use in women and explore gender differences in our sample. We predict that both women and men will expect cannabis to ameliorate PTSD symptoms. We also expect the anticipation of symptom reduction to act as a bridge between PTSD symptom severity and cannabis use, with an increase in expectations aligning with increased usage. Methods. A sample of 1370 participants (1100 women and 270 men) completed the monthly version of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and reported their expectations for cannabis-related PTSD symptom relief after each PCL item. They also shared their cannabis usage. To detect differences in average expectancies, we employed independent samples t-tests. Furthermore, we used a moderated mediation model to determine if PTSD symptoms indirectly linked to cannabis use through expectancies in a way that differed by gender. Results. Men and women displayed significantly different scores on each PCL subscale. Moreover, men and women had considerable variations in their expectations for cannabis-induced relief for all PCL subscales except for alterations in cognition and mood. Overall, women exhibited higher expectations for relief than men, with the highest scores for avoidance and numbing symptoms; men's highest expectations occurred for intrusion symptoms. The severity of PTSD symptoms, gender, and the interaction between gender and PTSD symptoms all significantly accounted for the variance in cannabis expectancies. Only the main effect of expectancies covaried with the frequency of cannabis use. PTSD symptoms directly affecting cannabis use were significant factors only for women, while the indirect effect was significant for both genders. Conclusion. Although cannabis use frequency did not correlate with PTSD symptomatology, variations in PCL scores and expectations for cannabis-induced symptom relief are crucial for treating PTSD. The expectations for relief from PTSD symptoms via cannabis use suggest that challenging these expectations might help to reduce cannabis use. Additionally, gender differences in these expectations indicate that men and women might benefit from gender-specific interventions that address cannabis use among PTSD patients.

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