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. 2012 Mar;26(2):297-304.
doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.12.006. Epub 2011 Dec 27.

Social anxiety and cannabis use: an analysis from ecological momentary assessment

Julia D Buckner  1 , Ross D Crosby, Stephen A Wonderlich, Norman B Schmidt
Affiliations

Social anxiety and cannabis use: an analysis from ecological momentary assessment

Julia D Buckner et al. J Anxiety Disord. 2012 Mar.

Abstract

Individuals with elevated social anxiety appear especially vulnerable to cannabis-related problems, yet little is known about the antecedents of cannabis-related behaviors among this high-risk population. The present study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine the relations among social anxiety, cannabis craving, state anxiety, situational variables, and cannabis use in the natural environment during ad-lib cannabis use episodes. Participants were 49 current cannabis users. During the two-week EMA period, social anxiety significantly interacted with cannabis craving to predict cannabis use both cross-sectionally and prospectively. Specifically, individuals with higher social anxiety and craving were most likely to use cannabis. There was a significant social anxiety x state anxiety x others' use interaction such that when others were using cannabis, those with elevations in both trait social anxiety and state anxiety were the most likely to use cannabis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Trait social anxiety X cannabis craving predicting cannabis use at the daily (1a), momentary (1b), and antecedent (1c) levels.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Trait social anxiety X state anxiety predicting cannabis use at the daily level.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Trait social anxiety X situation type predicting cannabis use at the momentary level.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Trait social anxiety X state anxiety predicting cannabis use at the momentary level in situations in which (4a) others are using cannabis and (4b) other are not using cannabis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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