Recent surveys have shown the prevalence of cannabis use among college students is the highest it has been in decades. Among college students that endorsed cannabis use, 90.8% reported experiencing at least one negative cannabis-related consequence. The self-determination theory (SDT) is a theory of human motivation that hypothesizes people have three basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Satisfaction of psychological needs is correlated with health-promoting behaviors and more positive health outcomes. On the other hand, frustration of the psychological needs can negatively impact motivation and result in experiences of ill-being and distress. Therefore, psychological need satisfaction and need frustration may impact substance use-related harms. This study examines the associations between psychological need satisfaction and need frustration with cannabis-related outcomes among college students.
The study’s sample consisted of 1,394 U.S. college students from 10 universities who endorsed past-month cannabis use. Participants completed an online survey that assessed cannabis use severity during the past 6 months, negative cannabis-related consequences experienced during the past month, and frequency of cannabis protective behavioral strategy (PBS) use. Students also completed the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) to measure satisfaction and frustration of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Data was analyzed using a higher-order factor model.
Results of the data analysis showed greater need satisfaction was associated with greater use of cannabis protective behavioral strategies and fewer negative cannabis-related consequences. Greater need frustration was correlated with greater cannabis-related negative consequences and cannabis use severity. Lastly, an interaction effect was identified for both need satisfaction and need frustration for each cannabis endpoint. Greater need satisfaction reduced the interaction between need frustration and cannabis use outcomes and greater need frustration intensified the correlations between need satisfaction and each cannabis endpoint.
Takeaway: Psychological need satisfaction and need frustration may impact cannabis use related outcomes among college students.