Psychiatric Hospitalization and Length of Stay Differences in Cannabis Users and Non-Users with a Primary Discharge Diagnosis of Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder. (19th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Williams, Steven R.; Agapoff, James R.; Jalan, Devesh; Hishinuma, Earl S.; Kida, Lauren E.
• Is Part Of: Substance use & misuse. Volume 56:Number 11(2021)
• Page Start: 1736
• Page End: 1739
• Publication Date: 2021-09-19
• Subjects: Cannabis -- psychosis -- schizophrenia -- schizoaffective disorder -- length of stay -- number of hospitalization; Narcotic habit -- Periodicals; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Behavior, Addictive -- Periodicals; Sustance-Related Disorders -- Periodicals; 362.2905
• DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1949615
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1082-6084

Abstract

Abstract: Background: The effects of cannabis use in vulnerable persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, continues to be elucidated. Methods: We compared 55 cannabis-only users (Group 1) with 462 non-substance users (Group 2) on measures of length of stay and number of psychiatric hospitalizations with a primary discharge diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney non-parametric test for non-normal distributions, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Poisson regression analysis. Results: Group 1 had a mean length of stay of 6.15 days ( sd = 5.32 days) and Group 2 had a mean length of stay of 8.66 days ( sd = 11.14 days) (i.e. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, p = .0347; log-transformed ANOVA, p = .0203). This difference was no longer statistically significant when controlling for three covariates ( p = .1543). Poisson regressions for the mean number of admissions (1.84) were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Cannabis use may not be a good predictor of length of stay, once covariates are considered, and mean number of hospitalizations in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.