Adolescents cannabis use intention: Validating a theory of planned behavior questionnaire in four European countries

Abstract

ABSTRACTCannabis use remains an important concern in modern societies, adolescence being the critical period when the adolescents start to use cannabis. This study is aimed at extending and validating the Cannabis Use Intention Questionnaire (CUIQ), which was previously developed in Spain and based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, in Italy, Portugal, and Romania. There are existing questionnaires which assess cannabis use problems and several risk factors; however, there is a need for a questionnaire based on a proven theory to assess interventions. A total of 3447 adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years old from Italy (43.14%), Portugal (23.90%), and Romania (32.96%) participated in this study. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The scores were validated against cannabis use and the risk of experiencing problems related to cannabis use. The cut-off points were calculated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The reliability index, α ordinal, indicated good reliability on the scales of attitudes, perceived behavioral control and intention. The results confirmed the four dimension structure of CUIQ. The invariance tests indicated that the structure and measurement of the scales were equivalent in all countries. The cut-off points showed good classification capability, especially for intention and attitudes. The CUIQ allows comparative studies addressed to study underlying psychological processes in adolescents’ decisions to use cannabis as well as to assess interventions aimed to reduce the problem of cannabis use.