Interactions of protective behavioral strategies and cannabis use motives: An online survey among past-month users

Abstract

Given the constant high prevalence of cannabis use and cannabis dependence, it is important to determine protective behaviors on the individual level, which buffer the effects of risk factors. Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana (PBSM) have been identified to play an important role for harm reduction in adolescent and young adult users. In the present study, we analyzed if PBSM moderate the effects of use motives (captured by the Marijuana Motives Measure, MMM) on the severity of dependence beyond the effects of age, gender, education and cannabis use frequency. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the German versions of PBSM and MMM. Data was gathered in an online survey distributed to randomly chosen households in the city of Bern in the German speaking part of Switzerland. The final sample comprised 362 past-month users. Results showed negative correlations between PBSM and cannabis use frequency and severity of dependence. The only motives being correlated with severity of dependence were coping and routine, beyond frequency of use. PBSM significantly moderated the effect only of routine motives on the severity of dependence. However, only a few cases who used PBSM extensively were affected. PBSM appear to be an important factor to reduce harm among past-month users but not among those with dependent use patterns, e.g. coping and routine users. Clinical implications are discussed. The routine factor adds significantly to the MMM and should be implemented and improved in future studies. PBSM as well as the MMM can be used in future studies in German speaking populations.

The Reduction of Cannabis Use and its Consequences in youths: a Psychosocial and Longitudinal Research from the Theory of Planned Behavior and Protective Strategies (PsicoCann)

“…The existing body of literature on cannabis-PBS consistently indicates that using PBS is associated with a reduction in negative cannabis-related consequences and a decrease in cannabis use in terms of frequency and quantity (Bravo et al, 2017;Còté et al, 2022, Genrich et al, 2021Jordan et al, 2022). In alignment with these observations, our regression analyses have demonstrated the predictive validity of both the full-length and short-form S-PBSC concerning cannabis use profile and cannabis-related consequences.…”

“…Since its development, many studies (e.g., Bravo, Weinstein, et al, 2019;Richards et al, 2023) have utilized the PBSM (Pedersen et al, 2017), which has been adapted to other languages. Notably, the German version of the 36-item PBSM was recently subjected to psychometric testing in a community online sample (n=362; Genrich et al, 2021), while Coté et al (2022) found support for the unidimensional structure of the French version of the short PBSM-17 in a sample of 211 university students. However, to our knowledge, no studies have examined the psychometric properties of an adapted Spanish version of the PBSM.…”

Internal Structure and Invariance of a Brief Version of the Marijuana Motives Measure (MMM-P15) in a Peruvian Population of Marijuana users

“…The onset of marijuana use is multi-causal, with multiple motivations for it. As explanatory models for understanding motivations are consolidated (Cooper, 1994;Matalí et al, 2018), knowledge about them will bring benefits from a preventive and psychotherapeutic perspective, ensuring greater success in interventions (Garrison et al, 2021;Genrich et al, 2021;Pons, 2008). Therefore, it is very important to assess motivations, which would not be possible without the availability of instruments adapted to the Peruvian context and that guarantee acceptable psychometric properties to measure this construct (Carretero-Dios & Pérez, 2005;Carretero-Dios & Pérez, 2007;Muñiz et al, 2013;Muñiz et al, 2019).…”

Predictors of Cannabis Use Among Canadian University Students

“…Thus, an understanding of an individual's reasons for initiating and/or continuing cannabis consumption can help clarify various cannabis related behaviours and risks, which in turn can inform prevention and treatment efforts. For example, past research has found that using cannabis for experimentation was associated with less cannabis use and fewer cannabis related problems, whereas using cannabis for enjoyment, habit, activity enhancement, and altered perception purposes has been associated with increased use and problems ( Lee et al, 2007 ), while using cannabis routinely and as a means to cope was shown to be moderately correlated with severity of use ( Genrich et al, 2021 ). When comparing adults who use cannabis medicinally to those who use it recreationally, Lin et al (2016) found that medicinal users were more likely to have poorer health and more likely to use cannabis daily than those who used recreationally.…”