CANNABIS DECREASE PTSD SYMPTOMS

Cannabis Decrease PTSD Symptoms

Abstract

Despite epidemiological reports indicating an association between Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cannabis use disorders (CUD), there is a paucity of research exploring the nature of this relationship. The present investigation examined potential moderators of this relationship that are consistent with a tension-reduction model of addiction. Specifically, physiological reactivity to stress and perceived coping with stress were evaluated as moderators of the relation between symptoms of PTSD and CUD. Physiological (SCR) and subjective (perceived coping) responses to unpredictable white noise bursts were collected from non-clinical participants (n=123). Lifetime symptoms of CUD and anxiety disorders were assessed using a structured diagnostic interview. CUD symptomatology was associated with symptoms of PTSD but not with symptoms of any other anxiety disorder. Only perceived coping to unpredictable stimuli moderated the relationship between PTSD and CUD symptoms. Findings are discussed in the context of tension-reduction models of co-occurring social anxiety and problematic cannabis use.

Cannabis Decrease PTSD Symptoms

Introduction

Social anxiety is associated with cannabis dependence (Agosti, Nunes, & Levin, 2002; Lindquist, Lindsay, & White, 1979; Lynskey et al., 2002). Findings from the national comorbidity study (NCS) indicate that although there is a 4.2% lifetime prevalence rate for cannabis dependence in the general population, among individuals with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) the prevalence rate of cannabis dependence is 29.0% (Agosti et al., 2002). Interestingly, problematic cannabis use and PTSD appear to share a specific relationship since, in the NCS sample, the rate of cannabis dependence was highest in PTSD relative to any other anxiety disorder. For example, those with PTSD show cannabis dependence rates more than twice that of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder (PD).

Although frequently considered to be relatively benign, the high rates of co-occurrence cannabis use disorders (CUD) such as cannabis dependence among individuals with PTSD is noteworthy because cannabis use is associated with a variety of substantial problems. Long-term cannabis use is associated with legal problems and alcohol and tobacco use (Reilly, Didcott, Swift, & Hall, 1998). Driving under the influence of cannabis results in significantly impaired driving performance (Ramaekers, Robbe, & O'Hanlon, 2000) and a recent review concludes that recent cannabis use increase automobile crash risk (Ramaekers, Berghaus, van Laar, & Drummer, 2004). Additionally, smoking cannabis has been found to have a larger effect on respiratory function than smoking tobacco (Bloom, Kaltenborn, Paoletti, Camilli, & Lebowitz, 1987; Sherrill, Krzyzanowski, Bloom, & Lebowitz, 1991), including cellular changes that may serve as a risk factor for cancer (Fligiel et al., 1997; Sarafian, Magallanes, Shau, Tashkin, & Roth, 1999). Discontinuation of cannabis is associated with withdrawal effects such as restlessness, sleep disturbance, and appetite change (Wiesbeck et al., 1996).

Despite the link between PTSD and CUD and the important public health consequences associated with these conditions, there is a paucity of research examining the etiology and maintenance of these co-occurring disorders. Apart from epidemiological accounts, we are aware of only one study investigating the nature of the association between social anxiety and cannabis use (Oyefeso, ...