Among college students non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and cannabis use is on the rise. NSSI refers to “harm inflicted on one’s body without explicit intent to die that goes against cultural norms.” NSSI is associated with lower academic performance and life satisfaction and the onset and persistence of various mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is associated with an increased risk for NSSI. The goal of this study is to “examine the impact of CUD symptom severity on risk for NSSI and within the context of other co-occurring mental health symptoms linked to both CUD and NSSI.”
This study comprised 1,100 college students enrolled at the University of Texas at San Antonio during the Fall of 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. Students who had used cannabis in the past six months were reflected as current users. This study measured demographics, CUD symptoms, depression symptoms, trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, NSSI engagement, and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) symptoms. The result of this study did align with a majority of preexisting literature.
The study showed that greater CUD symptom severity correlated with an increased risk for current NSSI through increased PTSD-depression symptoms. AUD symptom severity did not correlate with engagement in current NSSI, which does not align with preexisting research. The study suggests this could be due to the low average AUD symptom severity that the sample contained. Students may be more willing to present to university counseling for PTSD and depression than CUD. This study highlights the importance of possibly screening for symptoms of CUD in students to help downstream impact on NSSI and the student’s overall well-being.
Takeaway: The study showed that greater CUD symptoms severity correlated with an increased risk for current NSSI through increased PTSD-depression symptoms.