Measuring Impaired Control over Cannabis Use: Initial Evaluation of the Impaired Control Scale-Cannabis (ICS-C)

Abstract

Background: Impaired control is a central concept in addiction. Impaired control over alcohol has been associated with heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems in young adults, but there is less research on impaired control over cannabis. Currently, there is no validated self-report instrument that comprehensively assesses impaired control over cannabis use. This study examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of a new measure, the Impaired Control Scale-Cannabis (ICS-C), which was adapted from the Impaired Control Scale (ICS) for alcohol (Heather et. al, 1993). Method: The sample consisted of students at two Canadian universities who reported past-month cannabis use (N=362; 63% women; 66% White, mean age=19.91).Participants completed an online survey including the ICS-C and ICS, along with measures of cannabis use, cannabis problems, alcohol use, impulsivity, and self-regulation. Results: After trimming problematic and redundant items, the final exploratory factor analysis of the ICS-C items yielded two factors: Attempted Control (attempts to control cannabis use) and Failed Control (unsuccessful attempts to limit cannabis use). High correlations between the ICS-C subscales and the Impaired Control subscale of the Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire provided evidence for convergent validity. Support for concurrent and discriminant validity was observed in the associations of the ICS-C subscales with cannabis use, cannabis problems, impulsivity, self-regulation, alcohol use, and the alcohol ICS. Conclusions: The ICS-C is a promising tool for assessing impaired control over cannabis in young adults. Future research should further validate the ICS-C and examine its potential clinical utility for identifying individuals at risk for cannabis use disorder.

A test of competing mediators linking trouble sleeping to cannabis use in adolescents and emerging adults.

“…We also obtained multiple daily assessments of negative affect, risk-taking propensity, and cannabis craving, which improved day-level measurement accuracy. Our examination of impaired control of youth cannabis use is novel and holds important theoretical and clinical relevance, particularly as impaired control is one of the earliest CUD symptoms to develop and is commonly endorsed among young adults (Bashford et al, 2013; Rosenberg & Anthony, 2001; Taguba et al, 2022).…”

“…Developmentally, impaired control is directly relevant to youth because it has been recognized as a core feature of addiction since the 18th century (Levine, 1978) and is one of the earliest CUD symptoms to develop (Bashford et al, 2013; Rosenberg & Anthony, 2001). One recent study modified the Impaired Control Scale (Heather et al, 1993), which was originally developed for alcohol, to assess impaired control over cannabis among young adult college students (Taguba et al, 2022). Impaired control over cannabis use was positively associated with past-month cannabis-use frequency, quantity (i.e., grams per week), and negative cannabis consequences.…”