Cannabis and depression: an integrative data analysis of four Australasian cohorts
- PMID: 22749560
- DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.06.002
Cannabis and depression: an integrative data analysis of four Australasian cohorts
Abstract
Background: This study presents an integrative data analysis of the association between frequency of cannabis use and severity of depressive symptoms using data from four Australasian cohort studies. The integrated data comprised observations on over 6900 individuals studied on up to seven occasions between adolescence and mature adulthood.
Methods: Repeated measures data on frequency of cannabis use (not used/<monthly/≥monthly/≥weekly) and concurrently assessed depression scores were pooled over the four cohorts. Regression models were fitted to estimate the strength of association between cannabis use and depression. Fixed effects regression methods were used to control for confounding by non-observed fixed factors.
Results: Increasing frequency of cannabis use was associated with increasing depressive symptoms (p<0.001). In the pooled data weekly users of cannabis had depression scores that were 0.32 (95%CI 0.27-0.37) SD higher than non-users. The association was reduced but remained significant (p<0.001) upon adjustment for confounding. After adjustment depression scores for weekly users were 0.24 (95%CI 0.18-0.30) SD higher than non-users. The adjusted associations were similar across cohorts. There was a weak age×cannabis use interaction (p<0.05) suggesting that the association was strongest in adolescence. Attempts to further test the direction of causality using SEM methods proved equivocal.
Conclusions: More frequent cannabis use was associated with modest increases in rates of depressive symptoms. This association was stronger in adolescence and declined thereafter. However, it was not possible from the available data to draw a definitive conclusion as to the likely direction of causality between cannabis use and depression.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
Cannabis use and adult ADHD symptoms.Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008 May 1;95(1-2):90-6. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.12.012. Epub 2008 Feb 1. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008. PMID: 18242878
-
The persistence of the association between adolescent cannabis use and common mental disorders into young adulthood.Addiction. 2013 Jan;108(1):124-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04015.x. Epub 2012 Oct 18. Addiction. 2013. PMID: 22775447
-
Tests of causal linkages between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms.Addiction. 2005 Mar;100(3):354-66. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.01001.x. Addiction. 2005. PMID: 15733249
-
Cannabis use and psychotic disorders: an update.Drug Alcohol Rev. 2004 Dec;23(4):433-43. doi: 10.1080/09595230412331324554. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2004. PMID: 15763748 Review.
-
Adverse effects of cannabis.Prescrire Int. 2011 Jan;20(112):18-23. Prescrire Int. 2011. PMID: 21462790 Review.
Cited by
-
Cannabis Use and Its Impact on Mental Health in Youth in Australia and the United States: A Scoping Review.Epidemiologia (Basel). 2024 Feb 29;5(1):106-121. doi: 10.3390/epidemiologia5010007. Epidemiologia (Basel). 2024. PMID: 38534804 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Pain: A Narrative Review from Pain Assessment to Therapy.Behav Neurol. 2024 Mar 16;2024:1228194. doi: 10.1155/2024/1228194. eCollection 2024. Behav Neurol. 2024. PMID: 38524401 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Examining temporal trends in psychological distress and the co-occurrence of common substance use in a population-based sample of grade 7-12 students from 2013 to 2019.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024 Aug;59(8):1367-1377. doi: 10.1007/s00127-024-02619-z. Epub 2024 Feb 5. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024. PMID: 38311705 Free PMC article.
-
Psychiatric comorbidities and concurrent substance use among people who inject drugs: a single-centre hospital-based study.Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 4;13(1):19053. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45633-y. Sci Rep. 2023. PMID: 37925494 Free PMC article.
-
Medicinal cannabis for psychiatry-related conditions: an overview of current Australian prescribing.Front Pharmacol. 2023 Jun 6;14:1142680. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1142680. eCollection 2023. Front Pharmacol. 2023. PMID: 37346297 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical