Cannabis use and vulnerability for psychosis in early adolescence—a TRAILS study. (3rd January 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Griffith‐Lendering, Merel F. H.; Wigman, Johanna T. W.; Prince van Leeuwen, Andrea; Huijbregts, Stephan C. J.; Huizink, Anja C.; Ormel, Johan; Verhulst, Frank C.; van, Jim; Swaab, Hanna; Vollebergh, Wilma A. M.
• Is Part Of: Addiction. Volume 108:Number 4(2013:Apr.)
• Page Start: 733
• Page End: 740
• Publication Date: 2013-01-03
• Subjects: Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Drug addiction -- Periodicals; 616.86
• DOI: 10.1111/add.12050
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0965-2140

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="add12050-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Aims</title> <p>To examine the direction of the longitudinal association between vulnerability for psychosis and cannabis use throughout adolescence.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12050-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Design</title> <p>Cross‐lagged path analysis was used to identify the temporal order of vulnerability for psychosis and cannabis use, while controlling for gender, family psychopathology, alcohol use and tobacco use.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12050-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Setting</title> <p>A large prospective population study of Dutch adolescents [the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) study].</p> </sec> <sec id="add12050-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Participants</title> <p>A total of 2120 adolescents with assessments at (mean) age 13.6, age 16.3 and age 19.1.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12050-sec-0005" sec-type="section"> <title>Measurements</title> <p>Vulnerability for psychosis at the three assessment points was represented by latent factors derived from scores on three scales of the Youth Self‐Report and the Adult Self‐Report, i.e. thought problems, social problems and attention problems. Participants self‐reported on cannabis use during the past year at all three waves.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12050-sec-0006" sec-type="section"> <title>Findings</title> <p>Significant associations (<italic>r</italic> = 0.12–0.23) were observed between psychosis vulnerability and cannabis use at all assessments. Also, cannabis use at age 16 predicted psychosis vulnerability at age 19 (<italic>Z</italic> = 2.6, <italic>P</italic> < 0.05). Furthermore, psychosis vulnerability at ages 13 (<italic>Z</italic> = 2.0, <italic>P</italic> < 0.05) and 16 (<italic>Z</italic> = 3.0, <italic>P</italic> < 0.05) predicted cannabis use at, respectively, ages 16 and 19.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12050-sec-0007" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Cannabis use predicts psychosis vulnerability in adolescents and vice versa, which suggests that there is a bidirectional causal association between the two.</p> </sec> </abstract>