The role of anxiety sensitivity in the relation between anxious arousal and cannabis and alcohol use problems among low-income inner city racial/ethnic minorities

Prevalence of Cannabis Withdrawal Symptoms Among People With Regular or Dependent Use of Cannabinoids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…In our study, CWS was more frequently encountered among patients with comorbid tobacco and drug use. Although our study did not identify an association between psychiatric comorbidity or alcohol use and CWS prevalence, the prevalence of CUD comorbidity is known to be substantially higher among individuals with a primary anxiety, 44,95,96 mood, 34,97 eating, 61 46,98,99 relative to the general population. These findings are consistent with comorbidity literature, which provides further support for the notion that the nature of associations between substance use and psychiatric disorders is usually adverse.…”

Anxiety sensitivity components in relation to alcohol and cannabis use, motives, and problems in treatment-seeking cigarette smokers

“…These findings are consistent with previous studies that associated general AS with greater drinking conformity motives [20,21,23,25,26] and with greater expansion, [28] social, [27,28] and coping motives for cannabis use. [25,27–29]…”

“…Individuals high in AS often report the expectation that substance use will reduce negative affect as well as report using substances specifically for that purpose, including tobacco, [17–19] alcohol, [20–26] and cannabis. [25,27–29] Identifying malleable risk factors associated with coping-related substance use motives and expectancies is important given consistent findings linking coping-oriented substance use and the development of substance use problems. [30–33] In addition, AS has been associated with the problematic use of a variety of substances, again including tobacco, [18,19,34] alcohol, [23,29,35–37] and cannabis.…”

“…[25,27–29] Identifying malleable risk factors associated with coping-related substance use motives and expectancies is important given consistent findings linking coping-oriented substance use and the development of substance use problems. [30–33] In addition, AS has been associated with the problematic use of a variety of substances, again including tobacco, [18,19,34] alcohol, [23,29,35–37] and cannabis. [28,29,38,39]…”

How does anxiety sensitivity increase risk of chronic medical conditions?

“…Two cross‐sectional studies examining the link between AS and alcohol‐related outcomes among adult smokers and people living with HIV/AIDS, respectively, found that difficulties with emotion regulation mediated the relationship between AS and hazardous drinking (Paulus, Jardin, et al., ; Paulus et al., ), suggesting the potential additional role of maladaptive regulation of negative affect in the link between AS and alcohol use in these medical populations. There is also some evidence of a link between AS and increased cannabis use (Paulus, Manning, Hogan, & Zvolensky, ) and increased coping and conformity motives for use (Bonn‐Miller, Zvolensky, & Bernstein, ; Zvolensky, Marshall, et al., ), although a recent cross‐sectional study found that lower distress tolerance was associated with increased cannabis dependence symptoms and stronger coping motives, whereas AS was not (Farris, Metrik, Bonn‐Miller, Kahler, & Zvolensky, ). Further, individuals with high AS demonstrate a propensity to use alcohol and tobacco specifically to cope with distress (e.g., Brown, Kahler, Zvolensky, Lejuez, & Ramsey, ; Woicik et al., ), again suggesting that tension reduction is a primary motivation for their substance use, as McNally () suggested.…”