What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Mental Health, THC.

Where was this research published?

Published in Addictive behaviors on June 6, 2026.

Social anxiety shapes how cannabis users report their drug-related problems

Does social anxiety influence reporting of cannabis consequences? A differential item functioning analysis of the Brief Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire (B-MACQ).

Addictive behaviors • June 6, 2026 • Moderately Relevant

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AI Summary

This research examines how social anxiety disorder (SAD) affects the way cannabis users report their negative experiences with the drug. The study surveyed 1,261 college students from six U.S. universities, finding that students with clinically significant SAD symptoms reported significantly more cannabis-related problems than their peers without SAD, despite using cannabis at similar rates. The key insight: measurement bias may play a role, as the way people with anxiety perceive and report consequences differs from those without anxiety disorders.

The researchers used sophisticated statistical analysis to test whether specific items on the Brief Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire were biased toward individuals with SAD. They discovered that only one item showed significant bias: students with SAD were more likely to report experiencing anxiety, irritability, appetite loss, or stomach problems after cutting down cannabis use. This finding is particularly interesting because it suggests this consequence might be genuinely related to anxiety symptoms rather than cannabis withdrawal.

Even after removing the biased item, students with SAD continued to report higher overall cannabis-related consequences, indicating that the heightened risks they face are real and substantial. The findings highlight an important gap in cannabis research and treatment: people with existing anxiety disorders need specialized interventions that address both their anxiety and their cannabis use together, rather than treating these conditions separately.

📄 Original Abstract

Undergraduates with social anxiety disorder (SAD) are at a heightened risk for experiencing cannabis-related consequences, despite using cannabis at similar rates as those without SAD. One possible explanation may be that there are systematic differences in how individuals with SAD respond to self-report measures of cannabis-related consequences, particularly for items relying on subjective appraisal. The present study conducted a differential item functioning (DIF) analysis on the Brief Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire (B-MACQ) to determine whether any items were biased toward undergraduates with clinically significant SAD symptoms. Undergraduates (N = 1,261; Mage = 19.33; 73.7% female; 68.7% white; 45.8% with clinically significant SAD symptoms) from six U.S. universities who reported past-month cannabis use completed an online survey assessing SAD, cannabis use, and cannabis-related problems. DIF analyses indicated that only one B-MACQ item functioned differently across groups, whereby students with clinically significant SAD symptoms were more likely than those without SAD to endorse the item, "I have felt anxiety, irritable, lost my appetite or had stomach pains after stopping or cutting down on marijuana use." After removing this item, an ANCOVA controlling for past-month cannabis frequency demonstrated that students with clinically significant SAD symptoms continue to report greater B-MACQ total scores than those without SAD. Findings indicate that one B-MACQ item demonstrated measurement bias and should be interpreted with caution when administering the measure to individuals with SAD. Yet even after accounting for this bias, students with clinically significant SAD symptoms reported heightened cannabis-related consequences, highlighting the need for interventions that concurrently address SAD and cannabis use.