Emilie Schmits

A longitudinal study of cannabis use initiation among high school students: Effects of social anxiety, expectancies, peers and alcohol.

This study identified protective and risk factors of cannabis use initiation, including expectancies and social anxiety. A questionnaire was completed twice by 877 teenagers. Logistic regressions, mediation and moderation analyses were performed. Significant risk factors were alcohol use, peer users, perceptual enhancement, and craving expectancies. Protective factors were negative behavior expectancies and social anxiety. Social anxiety protected from initiation through the mediating role of perceptual enhancement and craving expectancies, whatever the role of peer users and alcohol use. Findings are discussed in terms of risk and protection, in an overall approach including internalizing factors. Results support the identification of an internalizing profile of adolescents for prevention or treatment and the importance of social anxiety and expectancies in intervention.

Is Social Anxiety Associated With Cannabis Use? The Role of Cannabis Use Effect Expectancies in Middle Adolescence

ABSTRACT This study investigated the mediating/moderating role of cannabis use expectancies in/on the relationship between social anxiety (SA) and cannabis use in adolescence. Linear/logistic regressions and mediation/moderation analyses were performed in a sample of 1,343 Belgian teenagers (15 to 16 years old). SA was negatively related to lifetime cannabis use. Relaxation, social facilitation, and high-order positive expectancies moderated the relation between SA and lifetime cannabis use, whereas negative behavioral and high-order negative expectancies mediated the link. The potential protective nature of SA on lifetime cannabis use and the diverging involvement of negative and positive expectancies are discussed. Results support the importance of expectancies in prevention.

Validation of the Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire (MEEQ) in a Non-Clinical French-Speaking Adolescent Sample

Teenagers commonly use cannabis. Expectancies related to the effects of cannabis play an important role in its consumption and are frequently measured with the Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire (MEEQ). This study aims to assess the psychometric properties (factor structure, internal consistency reliability, criterion validity) of the French MEEQ. A sample of 1,343 non-clinical teenagers (14–18 years) were recruited to answer a self-report questionnaire; 877 of them responded twice (one-year interval). A four-factor structure was obtained: Cognitive Impairment and Negative, Relaxation and Social Facilitation, Perceptual Enhancement and Craving and Negative Behavioral Effect Expectancies. It is concluded that the French MEEQ constitutes an appropriate tool to measure cannabis effect expectancies among adolescents.

Delinquency and drug use among adolescents and emerging adults: The role of aggression, impulsivity, empathy, and cognitive distortions

ABSTRACT Risk behaviors are well known to be higher in adolescents and emerging adults. Drug use and delinquency present several common predictive factors. The aim of the present study was to assess the contribution of individual factors (aggression, impulsivity, empathy, and cognitive distortions) to delinquent behaviors, alcohol use and cannabis consumption among adolescents and emerging adults. Participants were between 15 and 25 years of age (M = 18.64 years, SD = 2.61); 325 were adolescents (15–18 years of age, M = 16.56, SD = 1.11, 56.31% of women) and 283 were emerging adults (19–25 years, M = 21.03, SD = 1.62, 50.88% of women). They completed self-report validated questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses showed that all individual factors significantly predicted delinquency. Impulsivity and empathy significantly predicted alcohol use. Concerning cannabis use, impulsivity is the only significantly associated predictor. Moderation analysis showed that specific associations were stronger in adolescents, whereas others were stronger in emerging adults. All these variables explained 69% of the variance of delinquency, 31% of the variance of alcohol use, and 18% of the variance of cannabis use. This model demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit criteria. These results may have implications for prevention and intervention.

Components of social anxiety prevent cannabis use in adolescents

ABSTRACT Background: Social anxiety is often reported as a risk factor for cannabis-related problems during adulthood. However, this disorder may also prevent adolescents from using cannabis. Objectives: This longitudinal study focuses on the relationship between social anxiety and cannabis (prevalence, frequency, problems) in adolescents. Expectancies and specific markers of social anxiety were evaluated. Methods: A questionnaire was administered three times at 1-year intervals (T1, T2, T3), assessing cannabis use, effect expectancies, social anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression, in a sample of 611 teenagers (M = 15.54 years at baseline, age range = 14–18, SD = 0.78, 49.26% women). Results: After controlling for relevant variables (T1), social anxiety (T1) significantly prevents cannabis use (T3) among nonclinical adolescents, but was not significantly related to frequency/problems among users. This relationship is mediated by negative behavioral effect expectancies (T2). Markers of social anxiety (anxiety/avoidance in social interaction/performance situations) prevent cannabis use. Conclusions: Results are discussed in terms of clinical implications concerning cannabis use among adolescents.