What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Addiction, Mental Health.

Where was this research published?

Published in Drug and alcohol dependence on September 10, 2026.

Stress linked to more cannabis use among U.S. EMS clinicians

Q: What did this research study find?

Among *EMS clinicians*, each 1-point increase in perceived stress was associated with **79% more cannabis-use days** in the previous month.

Greater perceived stress and lower self-regulation associated with substance use behaviors in a national sample of United States emergency medical service clinicians.

Drug and alcohol dependence • September 10, 2026 • Relevant

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AI Summary

This cross-sectional observational study examined whether perceived stress and self-regulation were associated with substance use among 1,510 full-time U.S. emergency medical service (EMS) clinicians. Participants reported the number of days they used cannabis, binge drank, or used nicotine during the previous month, along with validated measures of stress and self-regulation. The survey was drawn from a random sample of 19,000 clinicians and statistically weighted to reflect population sociodemographic distributions.

Higher perceived stress was associated with 21% more binge-drinking days, 79% more cannabis-use days, and 5% more nicotine-use days. Higher self-regulation was associated with 97% lower odds of any cannabis use and 33% fewer binge-drinking days. These are associations, not evidence that stress causes substance use or that improving self-regulation would prevent it. Because this was a cross-sectional survey, it cannot establish the direction of the relationships or evaluate whether workplace or individualized interventions would reduce substance use; this is an abstract-based summary, not a review of the full text.

💡 Key Findings

Among EMS clinicians, each 1-point increase in perceived stress was associated with 79% more cannabis-use days in the previous month.

Good

78%

Each 1-point increase in self-regulation was associated with 97% lower odds of using cannabis at all.

Good

78%

The study found significant associations between perceived stress, self-regulation, and substance use, but its cross-sectional design cannot establish causation or show that an intervention would reduce cannabis use.

High

90%

📄 Original Abstract

BACKGROUND: Emergency medical service (EMS) clinicians are first responders who can experience work-related stressors. Substances can be used as a coping strategy to manage stress. The ability to self-regulate motivation, cognition, and emotions may protect against substance use. Our objective was to examine the associations among stress, self-regulation, and substance use in EMS clinicians to identify potential psychological targets for substance use prevention. METHODS: We invited a random sample of 19,000 full-time United States EMS clinicians from the largest national EMS database, of whom 1510 completed the survey. The online survey distributed by email included validated scales for perceived stress and self-regulation, as well as items assessing the number of days with binge drinking, cannabis use, and nicotine use in the prior month. We examined substance use outcomes using multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial models weighted to reflect population sociodemographic distributions. RESULTS: Each 1-point increase in perceived stress was associated with 21% more binge drinking days (aIRR=1.21 [1.05, 1.39]), 79% more cannabis use days (aIRR=1.79 [1.22, 2.61]), and 5% more nicotine use days (aIRR=1.05 [1.01, 1.10]). In contrast, each 1-point increase in self-regulation was associated with 97% lower odds of using cannabis at all (aOR=0.03 [0.01, 0.57]) and 33% fewer binge drinking days (aIRR=0.67 [0.51, 0.88]). CONCLUSIONS: In this national cross-sectional study of full-time United States EMS clinicians, we identified stress and self-regulation as factors significantly associated with substance use. Future studies should determine whether workplace and individualized interventions targeting perceived stress and self-regulation help reduce substance use among EMS clinicians.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Drug and alcohol dependence
Published: September 10, 2026
PMID: 42731275
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2026.113360

Authors (7)

Enzo G Plaitano Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA; The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA. Electronic address: enzo.g.plaitano.gr@dartmouth.edu.
Jonathan R Powell Clinical and Research Services, ImageTrend Inc., Eagan, MN, USA. Electronic address: jpowell@imagetrend.com.
Christopher B Gage Research Team, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Columbus, OH, USA. Electronic address: cgage@nremt.org.
Ashish R Panchal Research Team, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. Electronic address: ashish.panchal@osumc.edu.
Madelyn R Frumkin Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA. Electronic address: madelyn.r.frumkin@dartmouth.edu.
+2 more authors