Differences Between African-American and European-American Women in the Association of Childhood Sexual Abuse with Initiation of Marijuana Use and Progression to Problem Use
OBJECTIVE:
Childhood
sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with elevated risk of early marijuana use and
cannabis use disorder (CUD). Both the prevalence of CSA and the course of
marijuana use differ between African Americans and European Americans. The
current study aimed to determine whether these differences manifest in racial/
ethnic distinctions in the association of CSA with early and problem use of
marijuana.
METHOD:
Data were
derived from female participants in a female twin study and a high-risk family
study of substance use (n = 4,193, 21% African-American). Cox proportional
hazard regression analyses using CSA to predict initiation of marijuana use and
progression to CUD symptom(s) were conducted separately by race/ethnicity.
Sibling status on the marijuana outcome was used to adjust for familial
influences.
RESULTS:
CSA was
associated with both stages of marijuana use in African-American and
European-American women. The association was consistent over the risk period in
European-American women. In African-American women, the HRs for initiation were
2.52 at ages
15-17, and nonsignificant after age 17. In the CUD symptom model, CSA predicted
onset only at age 21 and older.
CONCLUSIONS:
The
association of CSA with initiation of marijuana use and progression to problem
use is stable over time in European-American women, but in African-American
women, it varies by developmental period. Findings suggest the importance of
considering race/ethnicity in prevention efforts with this high-risk population.
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
- 3George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
- 4National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
- J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2015 Jul;76(4):569-77.
No comments:
Post a Comment