Cannabis use rates continue to climb each year in the United States as cultural and political shifts in injunctive norms dictate generally wider levels of accessibility and reductions in criminalization. While the immediate and short-term effects of cannabis consumption are well-established, long term physical and psychological consequences have yet to be fully defined. When investigating the motives and influences of different human behaviors, the acquired preparedness model posits that an individual’s impulsivity may be a commanding characteristic in behavioral outcomes. This study seeks to investigate the acquired preparedness model as it relates to cannabis consumption in a population of college students.
The study’s sample consisted of 250 undergraduate students from a large university in the Southeastern United States (N=250, 61.7% female). Eligibility criteria included current enrollment, being 18-26 years old, and reporting cannabis use at least three times in the month prior to data collection. Participants completed a one-hour long survey which assessed the following measures: demographics, age of first cannabis use, general cannabis use habits, daily reward discounting (impulsivity measure via the Daily Reward Discounting Task), concerns related to future consequences (via Consideration of Future Consequences Scale), cannabis problems (via Rutgers Marijuana Problem Index), cannabis expectancies (via the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire- Brief), and depression, anxiety & stress (via Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale). The data was analyzed using covariate and mediation path analysis.
Results of the analysis found no significant interactions between impulsivity measures, concerns of future consequences, and cannabis expectancies. Increased delayed reward discounting (in theory, less impulsivity) in the presence of fewer concerns regarding future consequences was associated with cannabis use problems. Lastly, Increased cannabis expectancies were associated with increased usage rates. Overall, the data did not support the acquired preparedness model.
Takeaway: the acquired preparedness model may be useful describing some forms of substance use patterns, however, studies like these provide that it may contain substantial weaknesses.