Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Behavioral Control Associated with Age of First Use of Cannabis among Adolescents.
Liat Korn, Denise L Haynie, Jeremy W Luk and 2 others
PMID 33216363WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents who later reported first cannabis use before high school were more likely than never users to report, in 10th grade, positive attitudes, weak parental disapproval, peer cannabis use, and easy access.
Key findings
01Compared with never users, more positive attitudes toward cannabis in 10th grade were associated with higher odds of early initiation (adjusted odds ratio 2.39, 95% confidence interval 1.27 to 4.50).
02Compared with never users, perceiving parents as less negative toward cannabis in 10th grade was associated with higher odds of early initiation (adjusted odds ratio 2.50, 95% confidence interval 1.45 to 4.28) and high school initiation (adjusted odds ratio 1.55, 95% confidence interval 1.25 to 1.91).
03Compared with never users, perceiving higher peer cannabis use and easier access in 10th grade were associated with higher odds of early initiation (adjusted odds ratios 3.81 and 2.10) and high school initiation (adjusted odds ratios 2.82 and 1.66).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Age of first cannabis use was reported retrospectively at Waves 5 and 6, so recall could be inaccurate and could be biased by more recent experiences. Early initiators reported attitudes at the same time as or after starting cannabis, while later initiators reported attitudes before starting, so direction of the associations could not be determined. The analytic sample was 1848 of 2526 enrolled, and retained participants were more likely to be female, White, have more highly educated parents, and report no cannabis use, so results may not generalise to the original sample. The study did not measure all components of the theory of planned behavior, such as behavioral intent. The study did not examine continued use or progression into dependence.
Declared interests
No author conflict-of-interest statement is included in the supplied text. The publication types list NIH intramural and U.S. Government P.H.S. research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that positive attitudes, weak parental disapproval, peer use, or easy access caused early cannabis use. The study measured associations, and early users reported attitudes at the same time as or after use, so direction was unclear.