Marijuana, Social Isolation, and Loneliness Among Older Adults: Results from the 2018 Health and Retirement Study

Abstract

Introduction: Marijuana is the most used substance across all age groups and as of recently, there has been a significant increase in use among older adults (i.e. individuals ages 65+). Moreover, older adults also report higher levels of loneliness and social isolation, which are significant risk factors for initiation of marijuana use. However, these relationships have yet to be examined among older adults. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether social isolation and loneliness predicted marijuana use among a national sample of US older adults and examine differences in past-year use. Methods: A secondary data analysis of the 2018 Health and Retirement Study was conducted. The Health and Retirement Study is a national study examining health, income, retirement, and other psychosocial variables. For the present study, we utilized the newest marijuana module. We created a Loneliness scale (α = .88), social isolation scale (α = .85), and assessed differences based on demographics and perceptions of marijuana. Weighted logistic regression models were built to determine conditional associations to past-year marijuana use. The level of significance was set at p <.05. Results: A total of 1,661 adults ages 65+ was the final analytic sample. Nearly 1 in 10 (9.85%) adults reported past-year use of marijuana. Neither loneliness (p = .43) or social isolation (p= .39) were significant predictors of marijuana use. Adjusting for demographics, adults who reported past year drinking (aOR: 7.84, 95% 2.13, 28.9) were more likely to report use. Individuals who thought marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes were 44.6 times more likely to report past year use. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to examine loneliness, social isolation, and its association with past-year marijuana use among a large sample of older adults in the United States. Findings from the present study can inform policy prevention efforts, address facets in Healthy People 2030, and clinical interventions.