Abstract
Teenagers commonly use cannabis. Expectancies related to the effects of cannabis play an important role in its consumption and are frequently measured with the Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire (MEEQ). This study aims to assess the psychometric properties (factor structure, internal consistency reliability, criterion validity) of the French MEEQ. A sample of 1,343 non-clinical teenagers (14–18 years) were recruited to answer a self-report questionnaire; 877 of them responded twice (one-year interval). A four-factor structure was obtained: Cognitive Impairment and Negative, Relaxation and Social Facilitation, Perceptual Enhancement and Craving and Negative Behavioral Effect Expectancies. It is concluded that the French MEEQ constitutes an appropriate tool to measure cannabis effect expectancies among adolescents.
Highlights
Questionnaire (MEEQ) in a Non-Clinical French-Speaking Adolescent Sample experience the negative psychosocial effects of regular use (Fergusson, Horwood, & SwainCampbell, 2002; Lynskey et al, 2003) and risky behaviors are more common in youths (Kokkevi, Gabhainn, & Spyropoulou, 2006)
Expectancies related to the effects of cannabis use play an important role in its consumption in young adults (Beraha, Cousijn, Hermanides, Goudriaan, & Wiers, 2013; Gaher & Simons, 2007; Galen & Henderson, 1999; Simons & Arens, 2007) and adolescents (Kristjansson, Agrawal, Lynskey, & Chassin, 2012; Neighbors, Geisner & Lee, 2008; Skenderian, Siegel, Crano, Alvaro, & Lac, 2008)
More frequent cannabis use was observed in consumers with positive expectancies, whereas less frequent use was associated with negative expectancies
Summary
Questionnaire (MEEQ) in a Non-Clinical French-Speaking Adolescent Sample experience the negative psychosocial effects of regular use (Fergusson, Horwood, & SwainCampbell, 2002; Lynskey et al, 2003) and risky behaviors are more common in youths (e.g. aggressiveness, premature sexual behavior) (Kokkevi, Gabhainn, & Spyropoulou, 2006). A six-factor structure was identified (48 items): Cognitive/Behavioral Impairment, Relaxation/Tension Reduction, Social/Sexual Facilitation, Perceptual/Cognitive Enhancement, Global Negative Effects, and Craving/Physical Effects (Aarons et al, 2001; Schafer & Brown, 1991). A very brief version (6 items) of the MEEQ (MEEQ-B) was validated in a clinical sample of adolescents (Torrealday et al, 2008) This scale is mainly used in scientific studies. The authors assessed the psychometric properties of the scale in a clinical sample of adults and reported an exploratory four-factor structure (31 items): (1) Cognitive Impairment and Negative Effects « Smoking cannabis increases my immediate desire for things »), assessing the improvements in creativity and in the interest or desire for things expected after cannabis use; and (4) Negative Behavioral Effects Such a reduction was reported to improve the clarity of the model and its clinical meaningfulness
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