Cannabis use and social anxiety disorder in emerging adulthood: Results from a nationally representative sample

Abstract

Cannabis use and social anxiety disorder (SAD) are prevalent during emerging adulthood. Previous work has demonstrated that SAD is related to cannabis use in adults; however, less is known about what correlates relate to this association in emerging adults. A subsample of individuals ages 18-25 years old from the NESARC-III (N = 5194) was used to (a) evaluate the association between cannabis use and SAD and (b) examine what correlates may be associated with cannabis use and SAD in emerging adulthood. Weighted cross-tabulations assessed sociodemographics and lifetime psychiatric disorder prevalence estimates among the emerging adult sample. Multinomial logistic regressions examined associations between sociodemographics and psychiatric disorders and four groups (i.e., no cannabis use or SAD; cannabis use only; SAD only; cannabis use + SAD). The prevalence of co-occurring cannabis use and SAD was 1.10%. Being White, a part-time student, or not a student were associated with increased odds of having co-occurring cannabis use + SAD (OR range: 2.26-3.09). Significant associations also emerged between major depressive disorder, bipolar I disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, agoraphobia, and panic disorder and co-occurring cannabis use + SAD (AOR range: 3.03-19.05). Results of this study may have implications for better identifying and screening emerging adults who are at risk of co-occurring cannabis use and SAD.

Keywords: Cannabis use; Emerging adulthood; Epidemiological; Social anxiety disorder.