Associations among trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, cannabis use, and cannabis use disorder in a nationally representative epidemiologic sample.

Abstract

Research in community and clinical samples has documented elevated rates of cannabis use and cannabis use disorders (CUDs) among individuals with trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is a lack of research investigating relations between, and correlates of, trauma and cannabis phenotypes in epidemiologic samples. The current study examined associations between trauma (i.e., lifetime trauma exposure and PTSD) and cannabis phenotypes (i.e., lifetime cannabis use and CUD) in a nationally representative sample. Participants were individuals who participated in Waves 1 and 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (n = 34,396; 52.4% women; age, M = 48.0 years, SD = 16.9). Lifetime DSM-IV Criterion A trauma exposure was significantly associated with lifetime cannabis use (OR = 1.215) but was only marginally associated with CUD (OR = 0.997). Within the trauma-exposed sample, lifetime PTSD showed a significant association with CUD (OR = 1.217) but was only marginally associated with lifetime cannabis use (OR = 0.992). Partially consistent with hypotheses, lifetime trauma was associated with greater odds of lifetime cannabis use, whereas PTSD was associated with greater odds of CUD. Longitudinal research investigating patterns of onset of these events/disorders is needed.