The Moderating Roles Of Racial Discrimination And Covid-19 Stress On The Association Between College Students’ Cannabis Use And Psychosocial Functioning

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p> <p>The Moderating Roles of Racial Discrimination and COVID-19 Stress on the Association between College Students’ Cannabis Use and Psychosocial Functioning</p> <p>By</p> <p>Shannique Richards, MA</p> <p>Advisor: Sarah O’Neill, PhD</p> <p>Greater use of cannabis is linked to poorer psychosocial outcomes. Rates of cannabis use are particularly high in racial/ethnic minoritized (REM) and socioeconomically disadvantaged college students. Cannabis use has been correlated with exposure to trauma. REM and socioeconomically disadvantaged college students report higher rates of trauma exposure, including discrimination and health and social disparities than their White peers. This study examined exposure to two types of potentially traumatic events (racial discrimination and COVID-19) and their interaction with cannabis use on psychosocial impairment experienced by college students. An ethnically and racially diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged sample of 18–25-year-old college students was recruited from a public college in the northeast of the United States. Respondents (N=220; n = 67.7% female, Mean age = 19.48, SD =1.80 years) completed online self-report questionnaires about demographic characteristics, drug and alcohol use, severity of COVID-19 stress, experiences of racial discrimination, exposure to potentially traumatic events, and psychosocial outcomes, including sleep, anxiety, depression, and stress. Participants were categorized into three cannabis use groups: Never, Past (last use greater than 3 months ago), and Current (last use within the last 3 months). Differences in anxiety, stress, depression, and sleep quality across cannabis use groups were tested using Kruskal-Wallis <em>H </em>tests and chi-square analyses. Moderation analyses were conducted using Hayes’ (2022) PROCESS. Moderation analyses indicated that the Current cannabis use group reported higher levels of anxiety and stress compared to the Never use group. COVID-19 stress severity was significantly associated with higher anxiety and stress, even after controlling for High levels of exposure to potentially traumatic events across the lifetime. There were no significant interactions between COVID-19 stress and cannabis use on stress and anxiety. Exposure to racial discrimination moderated the association between Past cannabis use and anxiety severity. Current cannabis use and COVID-19 stressors may be associated with mental health difficulties including higher anxiety and stress in college populations. Findings demonstrate the need for campus interventions via psychoeducation and provisions of adequate mental health support to students to manage stressors.</p> <p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong><em>: </em>Cannabis, COVID-19, Racial Discrimination, Psychosocial Impairment; College Students<em></em></p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Richards, Shannique

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Sarah O'Neill

• Cannabis
• COVID-19
• Racial Discrimination
• Psychosocial Impairment; College Students
• Clinical Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1107

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:cc_etds_theses-2155