TY - JOUR
T1 - The Association Between Bi+ Stigma and Problematic Cannabis Use
T2 - Testing Coping Motives as an Underlying Mechanism
AU - Dyar, Christina
AU - Feinstein, Brian Alan
AU - Newcomb, Michael E.
AU - Whitton, Sarah W.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD086170, principal investigator: Sarah W. Whitton) and the National Institute on DrugAbuse (K01DA046716, principal investigator: Christina Dyar; K08DA045575, principal investigator: Brian Feinstein). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies. *Correspondence may be sent to Christina Dyar at the College of Nursing, Ohio State University, 393 Newton Hall, 1585 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, or via email at: dyar.13@osu.edu.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, Alcohol Research Documentation Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - Objective: Bi+ individuals (i.e., people with attractions to more than one gender) are at heightened risk for cannabis use disorders compared with heterosexual and lesbian/gay individuals, and their heightened risk has been attributed to the unique stressors that they experience as bi+ individuals. Limited research has quantitatively examined the association between enacted bi+ stigma (i.e., biased treatment by others based on one’s bi+ identity/attractions) and cannabis use problems among bi+ individuals. Existing studies have been limited by their cross-sectional designs and their lack of attention to potential mechanisms underlying this association. Method: We used four waves of data (6 months between waves) from 317 bi+ individuals assigned female at birth who reported cannabis use. The goals of our analyses were to examine (a) the prospective association between enacted bi+ stigma and problematic cannabis use; and (b) coping motives (i.e., motivations to use cannabis to cope with negative emotions) as a mediator of this association. Results: At the within-person level, when participants experienced more enacted bi+ stigma than usual at a given wave (time t-2), they experienced a subsequent increase in their motivation to use cannabis to cope (time t-1), which in turn, predicted a subsequent increase in problematic cannabis use (time t). This within-person indirect effect was significant. Conclusions: These findings suggest that enacted bi+ stigma contributes to problematic cannabis use by increasing motivations to use cannabis to cope with negative emotions. As such, coping motives may be an important treatment target to reduce problematic cannabis use among bi+ individuals. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 83, 126–133, 2022).
AB - Objective: Bi+ individuals (i.e., people with attractions to more than one gender) are at heightened risk for cannabis use disorders compared with heterosexual and lesbian/gay individuals, and their heightened risk has been attributed to the unique stressors that they experience as bi+ individuals. Limited research has quantitatively examined the association between enacted bi+ stigma (i.e., biased treatment by others based on one’s bi+ identity/attractions) and cannabis use problems among bi+ individuals. Existing studies have been limited by their cross-sectional designs and their lack of attention to potential mechanisms underlying this association. Method: We used four waves of data (6 months between waves) from 317 bi+ individuals assigned female at birth who reported cannabis use. The goals of our analyses were to examine (a) the prospective association between enacted bi+ stigma and problematic cannabis use; and (b) coping motives (i.e., motivations to use cannabis to cope with negative emotions) as a mediator of this association. Results: At the within-person level, when participants experienced more enacted bi+ stigma than usual at a given wave (time t-2), they experienced a subsequent increase in their motivation to use cannabis to cope (time t-1), which in turn, predicted a subsequent increase in problematic cannabis use (time t). This within-person indirect effect was significant. Conclusions: These findings suggest that enacted bi+ stigma contributes to problematic cannabis use by increasing motivations to use cannabis to cope with negative emotions. As such, coping motives may be an important treatment target to reduce problematic cannabis use among bi+ individuals. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 83, 126–133, 2022).
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U2 - 10.15288/jsad.2022.83.126
DO - 10.15288/jsad.2022.83.126
M3 - Article
C2 - 35040768
AN - SCOPUS:85123651704
VL - 83
SP - 126
EP - 133
JO - Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
JF - Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
SN - 1937-1888
IS - 3
ER -