Nicotine and stress: A role for the glutamate system

Abstract

the two-week EMA protocol. Participants were texted nine questions, three times per day for twoweeks. Academicmotivation and craving were assessed on 1–10 scales (low to high), while social context focused on whether participants used marijuana alone or with others. Results: The sample was 63% female, 79% Caucasian, and averaged 20.05 (SD=2.60) years of age. Mean cumulative GPAwas 2.86 (SD= .68; range from .80–4.00). Participants were heavymarijuana users, smoking two times per day on average (M=2.50, SD=2.37). HLM was used to assess the impact of social context on craving, adjusting for day of the week. Social context was significant (p=0.003) with a positive association, suggesting that being with others was associated with higher levels of craving. Another HLM wasfit toassess the impactof cravingonacademicmotivation in the same EMA instance, adjusting for day of the week and time spent smoking and studying. Thismodel showed that craving has a significantly negative association with academic motivation (p=0.02). Conclusions: Participants who smoked marijuana with others reported higher craving, suggesting that peer interaction could influence craving. Greater craving was associated with lower academic motivation in the same EMA instance. Future studies should examine whether marijuana craving and other social factors contribute to academic success. Financial support: This study was supported by an internal university provost award.