Impulsivity and Childhood Physical Abuse Predict Past 30-day Cannabis Use Among Bisexual Women

Abstract

Previous research suggests that bisexual women’s rate of cannabis use is 2 to 7 times higher than their heterosexual peers; however, factors contributing to this are unclear. Trait impulsivity (i.e., tendency to act without forethought) and history of childhood physical abuse (CPA) are two risk factors that may be relevant for bisexual women’s cannabis use. Specifically, bisexual women indicate high levels of risk-taking and commonly report histories of CPA. While both impulsivity and CPA have been identified as predictors of cannabis use in heterosexual women, research has yet to explore these factors as predictors of cannabis use among bisexual women. Consequently, the present study examined CPA and trait impulsivity as predictors of cannabis use in a sample of bisexual women. It was hypothesized that both trait impulsivity and exposure to CPA would predict greater frequency of cannabis use. Participants were 225 bisexual women aged 22.77 years (SD = 3.45) recruited from a southeastern university and community area. Participants completed an online survey including questions about their past 30-day frequency of cannabis use (5-point scale ranging from 0 = never to 4 = daily), CPA using the Child Maltreatment Scale-physical abuse subscale, and impulsivity using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-version 11. A majority of the sample reported cannabis use in the past 30 days (60.3%), with 23.2% using once or twice, 12.9% using weekly, 11.2% using almost daily, and 12.9% using daily. To account for the large number of zero values on the cannabis use score, we tested a Poisson hurdle model to evaluate the effects of CPA and impulsivity on cannabis use. Frequency of cannabis use was modeled first as a binary logistic model (0 versus any use) and then as a truncated regression model for non-zero responses. Results indicated that across all participants, greater impulsivity predicted any cannabis use in the past 30 days (p = .003), but CPA did not (p = .942). Among participants who reported past 30-day cannabis use only, CPA was associated with increased frequency of cannabis use (p = .003), and impulsivity did not predict frequency of cannabis use (p = .683). Overall, results indicated that greater trait impulsivity was associated with past 30-day cannabis use, but not frequency of cannabis use. Conversely, greater CPA exposure was not associated with whether one used cannabis in the past 30 days but instead was related to increased frequency of past 30-day cannabis use. Thus, although trait impulsivity may identify cannabis users, CPA may identify sexual minority women who are at risk for increased frequency of cannabis use. Given the potential long-term harms associated with increased cannabis use (e.g., changes in brain morphology, cognitive impairment, and respiratory issues), prevention efforts targeting bisexual women may want to consider impulsivity and CPA.