Ioan T Mahu1, Sean P Barrett2, Patricia J Conrod3, Sara J Bartel4, Sherry H Stewart2. 1. Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Life Sciences Centre, 1355 Oxford Street, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada. Electronic address: ioan.tiberiu.mahu@dal.ca. 2. Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Life Sciences Centre, 1355 Oxford Street, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, 5909 Veterans' Memorial Lane, 8th Floor, Abbie J. Lane Memorial Building, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS B3H 2E2, Canada. 3. Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, University of Montreal, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville Montréal (Québec) H3C 3J7, Canada; Ste-Justine Hospital, Centre de Recherche, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC H3T 1C4, Canada. 4. Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Life Sciences Centre, 1355 Oxford Street, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Substance use motives (i.e., reasons for using a substance) are thought to be the most proximal variable leading to substance use. These motives have been described by various typologies, the most well known being the four-factor drinking motives model which separates motives into enhancement, social, coping, and conformity (Cooper, 1994). Although extensively studied in adult community samples, motives for use have less commonly been investigated among populations at a later stage of addiction, where polysubstance use is more common. Moreover, because the motives literature has largely focused on drinking motives, it is not clear whether existing findings can also be applied to other substances (Cooper et al., 2016). METHODS: Using Zero-inflated beta Bayesian linear mixed modeling, we investigated the stability of seven distinct substance use motives (enhancement, social, expansion, coping with anxiety, coping with depression, coping with withdrawal, and conformity) across six different drug categories (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, opioids, stimulants, and tranquilisers) to determine the extent to which drug class can influence motive endorsement. One-hundred-and-thirty-eight methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) clients (F = 34.1%; M = 65.9%; age = 40.18 years) completed a novel short-form polysubstance motives questionnaire. RESULTS: External motives (i.e., conformity and social motives) were the most stable across drug categories, while all internal motives (i.e., enhancement, expansion, and all three coping motives) demonstrated varying levels of inter-drug variability. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have important implications for prevention and intervention strategies among people who engage in polysubstance use, highlighting the importance of both universal and substance-specific programming.
BACKGROUND: Substance use motives (i.e., reasons for using a substance) are thought to be the most proximal variable leading to substance use. These motives have been described by various typologies, the most well known being the four-factor drinking motives model which separates motives into enhancement, social, coping, and conformity (Cooper, 1994). Although extensively studied in adult community samples, motives for use have less commonly been investigated among populations at a later stage of addiction, where polysubstance use is more common. Moreover, because the motives literature has largely focused on drinking motives, it is not clear whether existing findings can also be applied to other substances (Cooper et al., 2016). METHODS: Using Zero-inflated beta Bayesian linear mixed modeling, we investigated the stability of seven distinct substance use motives (enhancement, social, expansion, coping with anxiety, coping with depression, coping with withdrawal, and conformity) across six different drug categories (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, opioids, stimulants, and tranquilisers) to determine the extent to which drug class can influence motive endorsement. One-hundred-and-thirty-eight methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) clients (F = 34.1%; M = 65.9%; age = 40.18 years) completed a novel short-form polysubstance motives questionnaire. RESULTS: External motives (i.e., conformity and social motives) were the most stable across drug categories, while all internal motives (i.e., enhancement, expansion, and all three coping motives) demonstrated varying levels of inter-drug variability. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have important implications for prevention and intervention strategies among people who engage in polysubstance use, highlighting the importance of both universal and substance-specific programming.
Authors: Brittany D Rhed; Robert W Harding; Charles Marks; Katherine T Wagner; Phillip Fiuty; Kimberly Page; Karla D Wagner Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2022-03-28 Impact factor: 5.435