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. 2023 Sep;37(6):809-822.
doi: 10.1037/adb0000945. Epub 2023 Jul 20.

Sex differences in the relationship between cannabis use motives and cannabis craving in daily life in emerging adults

Kathryn S Gex  1 , Kevin M Gray  1 , Christal N Davis  1 , Lindsay M Squeglia  1 , Aimee L McRae-Clark  1 , Michael E Saladin  1 , Rachel L Tomko  1
Affiliations

Sex differences in the relationship between cannabis use motives and cannabis craving in daily life in emerging adults

Kathryn S Gex et al. Psychol Addict Behav. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: Cannabis use motives and craving are associated with increased risk for cannabis-related problems and are ideal targets for prevention and early intervention. Patterns of motives and craving reactivity to cannabis cues differ by sex; however, few studies closely examine the relationship between motives and craving and how it may differ by valence (±) across men and women.

Method: The present study used Cue Reactivity Ecological Momentary Assessment to assess reward (+) and relief (-) craving four semirandom times per day for 2 weeks in a sample of 63 emerging adults (age 18-21; 54% cisgender women; 85.7% White) who frequently use cannabis (≥ 3 times per week). We assessed craving before and after exposure to brief neutral or cannabis image cues and examined within- and between-participant effects of cue type, motives, sex/gender, and their interactions, on postcue cannabis craving.

Results: Regardless of cue type, women with high coping motives (-) reported less postcue relief (-) craving, and men with high enhancement motives (+) reported more postcue reward (+) craving. High enhancement motives (+), regardless of sex/gender, were associated with elevated relief (-) craving reactivity to cannabis cues, and women with high coping motives (-) reported elevated reward (+) craving reactivity to cannabis cues.

Conclusions: Sex/gender differences in the relationships between cannabis motives and craving reactivity indicate the value of a more targeted examination of valence (±) of craving experiences in addition to motives for use. Higher levels of precision may better inform interventions for emerging adults at risk for experiencing cannabis-related problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart of participant enrollment and activity. *Only 46 of the 63 were included in final analyses for reward craving because these variables were added later to the study.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Flowchart of missing, removed, or excluded CREMA observations. Gray shaded boxes highlight the dependent variables for our models. Because reward craving items were added to the study later, only 46 of the 63 participants received these items, which reduced the total number of pre-cue and post-cue reward craving observations.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Enhancement Motives Predicting Relief Craving Reactivity to Cannabis vs. Neutral Cues.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Three-Way Interaction Between Trait-Level Coping Motives and Sex on Reward Craving Cue Reactivity.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Sex/Gender × Motives Interactions Predicting Relief and Reward Craving
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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