Sexual diversity, adolescent mental health, and adult cannabis use: Longitudinal associations through cannabis use motives

Abstract

Purpose: We examined prospective pathways between adolescent mental health and early adulthood cannabis use (CU) by sexual diversity, and the potential explanatory role of CU motives, accounting for confounders (demographics, CU frequency in adolescence).

Methods: Participants from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development self-reported at 17 years on depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and CU frequency, and at 23 years on CU motives, frequency and problems (471 participants total; 425 heterosexual; 46 sexually diverse).

Results: Depression - but not anxiety - symptoms at 17 years predicted CU problems at 23 years among sexually diverse participants only. This association was fully explained through coping motives, which were strongly predicted by depression symptoms in sexually diverse youth. While coping motives also predicted CU problems in heterosexual participants, coping motives were not predicted by mental health at 17 in this group. Depression symptoms at 17 also predicted social motives for CU among sexually diverse participants only, but this was not associated with CU frequency and problems. Finally, enhancement motives predicted CU problems at 23 years in both heterosexual and sexually diverse participants, but were not predicted by mental health at 17 years.

Conclusions: Among sexually diverse youth, depression symptoms in adolescence may confer particular risk for later CU problems through CU for coping purposes. Increasing coping resources for sexually diverse adolescents experiencing psychological distress could help prevent later CU problems.

Keywords: Cannabis motives; Cannabis use problems; Longitudinal; Mental health; Sexual diversity; Youth.