Anxiety Sensitivity as a Mediator of the Relationship between Moderate-Intensity Exercise and Coping-Oriented Marijuana Use Motives

Abstract

The present study examined the working hypothesis that moderate-intensity exercise is associated with coping-oriented marijuana use motives through its association with the fear of somatic arousal (i.e., anxiety sensitivity). Using data from 146 young adult current marijuana users we found evidence consistent with this hypothesis. Specifically, moderate-intensity exercise was associated with coping-oriented use motives, even after controlling for frequency of current marijuana use and other co-occurring marijuana use motives. This relationship became nonsignificant after entering anxiety sensitivity as an additional predictor variable, denoting a putative mediational role for this cognitve factor. These findings extend previous work and offer support for the potential utility of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for the treatment of marijuana use problems.Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance in the United States. 1 Moreover, the prevalence of marijuana abuse and dependence has risen significantly from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. 2 These data are striking given frequent marijuana use and related disorders have been associated with a number of negative outcomes, including increased risk of physical health disorders, 3-5 increased use of other substances 6 as well as reduced educational attainment 7 and work productivity. 8 One area of work that has helped guide the development of effective interventions for marijuana use and related disorders is the study of motivational bases of marijuana use. Extending its utility for understanding the nature of alcohol and tobacco use, 9,10 this approach has provided meaningful theoretical and clinical insight into the patterns of marijuana use. Indeed, coping, enhancement, social, and expansion motives for marijuana use have each been found to be associated with frequency of marijuana use, even after controlling for theoretically-relevant variables (e.g., concurrent substance use). One line of inquiry in regard to the study of marijuana use motives has focused on relations between emotional vulnerability factors and coping-oriented marijuana use. 15,16 This work has been influenced by the recognition that anxiety symptoms and disorders co-occur with frequent (e.g., daily) and problematic marijuana use. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] For example, marijuana dependence has prospectively predicted an increased risk for panic attacks. 24 Anxiety sensitivity is one possible contributing factor for these observed linkages between anxiety and marijuana use problems. Anxiety sensitivity reflects individual differences in the fear of anxiety and arousal-related sensations. 25,26 When anxious, individuals high in anxiety sensitivity become acutely fearful due to beliefs that these interoceptive sensations have harmful physical, psychological, or social consequences. 27 Over time, elevated levels of anxiety sensitivity predict greater risk for anxiety and its disorders. [28][29][30][31][32][33][34] Additionally, anxiety sensitivity is significantly relat...

Physical activity as a moderator of the association between anxiety sensitivity and binge eating

“…Additionally, individuals with high AS are more likely to use alcohol to cope with negative emotions than those less sensitive to anxiety (DeHaas et al, 2001; Novak et al, 2003; Stewart & Zeitlin, 1995), and high coping motives for drinking predict future problems with alcohol (Cooper, Russell, & George, 1988; Cooper, Russell, Skinner, & Windel, 1992). This relationship between AS and coping motives for substance use has also been observed for marijuana (Bonn-Miller, Zvolensky, & Bernstein, 2007; Comeau et al, 2001; Mitchell, Zvolensky, Marshall, Bonn-Miller, & Vujanovic, 2007; Smits, Bonn-Miller, Tart, Irons, & Zvolensky, 2011), suggesting that the relation is not specific to a particular substance and therefore indicates that a link may also exist between AS and coping motives for eating (i.e., the expectancy that eating can reduce negative affect).…”

“…Accordingly, PA may serve as a buffer against stress, thereby protecting people from developing associated psychological problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, maladaptive behavioral action tendencies; Salmon, 2001). Indeed, PA has been linked to greater psychological wellbeing (Stathopoulou, Powers, Berry, Smits, & Otto, 2006) and reduced coping motives for substance use (Medina et al, 2011; Smits, Bonn-Miller, Tart, Irons, & Zvolensky, 2011). …”

How does anxiety sensitivity increase risk of chronic medical conditions?

“…The study of behavioral treatments in the reduction of AS is well underway; for instance, aerobic exercise has been studied as both a stand‐alone treatment (e.g., Broman‐Fulks, Berman, Rabian, & Webster, ; Smits et al., ) and as a supplement to CBT (e.g., Sabourin, Watt, Krigolson, & Stewart, ; Watt, Stewart, Lefaivre, & Uman, ), with promising effects after just a single 30‐min session of exercise (Lebouthillier & Asmundson, ). There is also research to suggest that AS mediates the association between aerobic exercise and decreased coping motivations for maladaptive behaviors, such as marijuana use (Smits, Bonn‐Miller, Tart, Irons, & Zvolensky, ). Continued investigation of reductions in AS as a mediator between exercise interventions and reductions of other maladaptive health behaviors will be important in further elucidating the contributory role of AS to these behavioral risk factors, as well as further highlighting the importance of recommending and facilitating behavioral interventions that can reduce AS and associated unhealthy behaviors.…”

Sensation‐seeking genes and physical activity in youth

“…2006; Mata et al . 2011) as well as a decreased use of negative coping strategies such as substance use (Smits et al 2011). These two SNPs, the ACE I/D polymorphism and the SNP we found (rs8066276) are not in LD (please see Figure 1 in Heck et al .…”