Interest in online supports and brief self-help interventions among cannabis using Canadian university students

Abstract

Only a fraction of problematic cannabis users ever seek treatment from specialty addiction services. This gap could be reduced via online brief interventions and self-help resources; however, it is not clear whether cannabis users would be interested in accessing those tools. We examined whether cannabis use, motives for using cannabis, and protective behavioral strategies predicted hypothetical interest in accessing online self-help resources. We hypothesized that greater interest in accessing self-help materials would be predicted by (1) problematic cannabis use, (2) using cannabis to cope with negative affect, and (3) fewer cannabis-related protective behaviors. These predictions were tested in a secondary analyses of data from 649 cannabis-using Canadian university students (42.5% male; M age = 22.5) participating in a population survey. Data were analyzed using set wise hierarchical multiple linear regression models to predict hypothetical interest in online self-help resources, from cannabis use, motives, and protective behaviors. Problematic cannabis users reported more interest in hypothetically accessing online supports than non-problematic users. Problematic cannabis use, coping, and expansion motives, and protective behaviors were positively associated with hypothetical interest in accessing online resources. Findings suggest that online self-help interventions might be an effective public health approach to reduce cannabis use among Canadian university students.