Eric R Pedersen1, Justin F Hummer2, Dipali Venkataraman Rinker3, Zach K Traylor3, Clayton Neighbors3. 1. Department of Behavioral and Policy Sciences, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California. 2. Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. 3. Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Marijuana use can result in a variety of negative consequences, yet it remains popular among young adults and the general public at large. Combined with the growing empirical support for the benefits of medicinal marijuana as well as the steady increase in popular opinion regarding its legalization, it is of growing importance to identify strategies that may mitigate the harms related to marijuana use, reduce consumption levels, and limit resulting negative consequences among young adults who use marijuana. The purpose of this study was to develop and conduct initial psychometric analyses on a new scale, which we named the Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana (PBSM) scale. METHOD: A sample of undergraduate college students who reported past-6-month marijuana use (n = 210) responded to the initial pool of PBSM items and completed measures of marijuana use, consequences from marijuana use, alcohol use, and protective behavioral strategies for alcohol. RESULTS: Results from an iterative principal component analyses process yielded a single-factor structure with 39 items. The PBSM mean composite score negatively associated with marijuana use and consequences, with the strongest correlations evident for pastmonth users. The PBSM also significantly positively correlated with alcohol protective strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Protective behavioral strategies for marijuana appear to be a measurable construct that are related to marijuana frequency and consequences, and thus may be a useful component of intervention and prevention programs with young adults. More work testing the PBSM items with larger and more diverse samples of young adults is encouraged.
OBJECTIVE:Marijuana use can result in a variety of negative consequences, yet it remains popular among young adults and the general public at large. Combined with the growing empirical support for the benefits of medicinal marijuana as well as the steady increase in popular opinion regarding its legalization, it is of growing importance to identify strategies that may mitigate the harms related to marijuana use, reduce consumption levels, and limit resulting negative consequences among young adults who use marijuana. The purpose of this study was to develop and conduct initial psychometric analyses on a new scale, which we named the Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana (PBSM) scale. METHOD: A sample of undergraduate college students who reported past-6-month marijuana use (n = 210) responded to the initial pool of PBSM items and completed measures of marijuana use, consequences from marijuana use, alcohol use, and protective behavioral strategies for alcohol. RESULTS: Results from an iterative principal component analyses process yielded a single-factor structure with 39 items. The PBSM mean composite score negatively associated with marijuana use and consequences, with the strongest correlations evident for pastmonth users. The PBSM also significantly positively correlated with alcohol protective strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Protective behavioral strategies for marijuana appear to be a measurable construct that are related to marijuana frequency and consequences, and thus may be a useful component of intervention and prevention programs with young adults. More work testing the PBSM items with larger and more diverse samples of young adults is encouraged.
Authors: Alan K Davis; Lawrence A Osborn; Jaclyn Leith; Harold Rosenberg; Lisham Ashrafioun; Anna Hawley; Erin E Bannon; Samantha Jesse; Shane Kraus; Elizabeth Kryszak; Nicole Cross; Victoria Carhart; Kyoung-deok Baik Journal: Psychol Addict Behav Date: 2014-06
Authors: Irene J Elkins; Gretchen R B Saunders; Stephen M Malone; Margaret A Keyes; Matt McGue; William G Iacono Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2017-12-27 Impact factor: 4.492