Marijuana Effect Expectancies Research Articles

Measurement equivalence of the Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire-Brief across sex, race/ethnicity, and their co-occurring social identities for Black, Latinx, and non-Latinx white youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

The primary aim of this study was to assess and adjust for measurement non-equivalence (bias) by sex, race/ethnicity, and co-occurring social identities (sex x race/ethnicity) for the Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire-Brief (MEEQ-B) among Black, Latinx, and Non-Latinx white youth. The second aim was to determine how group comparisons change after accounting for possible measurement bias. Black, Latinx, and Non-Latinx white youth from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study Follow-up 3 (n=8,982; mean age=12.91; SD=0.65; 47.28% female; 15.03% Black, 22.93% Latinx, 62.04% Non-Latinx white) completed the MEEQ-B. Moderated nonlinear factor analysis (MNLFA) generated positive and negative expectancies factor scores accounting for non-equivalence. Analyses contrasted group differences by sex, race/ethnicity, and these co-occurring social identities using original (unadjusted) versus MNLFA-generated scores adjusted for measurement non-equivalence. Measurement non-equivalence was observed for positive and negative expectancies across sex, race/ ethnicity and their co-occurring social identities. MNLFA revealed between-group differences at the factor and item level. Further, comparisons of original (unadjusted) and MNLFA-generated adjusted scores revealed that unadjusted scores underestimated or did not detect some group differences in positive expectancies identified using adjusted scores, and unadjusted scores underestimated how much lower negative expectancies were in Black and Latinx relative to non-Latinx white youth. Results highlight the need for caution when interpreting scores of a measure like the MEEQ-B that has not undergone measurement equivalence testing and demonstrate how failing to adjust for non-equivalence can result in biased estimates of positive and negative expectancies, particularly when used with diverse populations.

Cross-Sectional Associations Between Expectancies for Cannabis use and Pain in an Emerging Adult Sample.

Pain and cannabis use are highly prevalent among emerging adults but research regarding how pain is associated with cannabis-related expectancies is limited. Emerging adults who reported past three-month cannabis use (N = 173) were recruited through an online sampling platform. Participants completed the Graded Chronic Pain Scale, Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test - Revised, and Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire. Multiple linear regressions indicated that pain intensity and disability were associated with hazardous cannabis use and expectancies for global negative effects (ps < .001). Sex did not moderate any of these relationships (ps > .14). Findings suggest that emerging adults who experience pain report greater hazardous cannabis use and may expect more negative effects of cannabis use. Researchers and clinicians should consider assessing pain in the context of cannabis studies and interventions.

Marijuana use experiences and expectancies of urban youth in India.

Objective:To gain information on the marijuana experiences and expectancies of youth in an urban Indian area, which may be used for forming the framework for the development of effective primary prevention strategies in the future.Method:This was a cross-sectional study conducted in various colleges of Mumbai; 260 students from three colleges who were above 18 years were selected by systematic random sampling. The participant had to fill a sociodemographic questionnaire and marijuana effect expectancy questionnaire (MEEQ-B) and it was analyzed by using the SPSS software.Results:A significant association was found between negative marijuana expectancies and type of family, with cannabis users and non-users, who want to try cannabis and those who are aware of the legal issues and harmful effects of cannabis.Conclusion:Preventive drug education should begin in early adolescence and should deter or delay drug use through changes in knowledge, attitude, behavior, and expectation. Adolescent drug education must meet the needs of those naive to drugs as well as those experiencing initial drug exposure. This is the first study which highlights the youth experiences and expectancies about marijuana in India.

Medical students and marijuana, attitudes and beliefs: A comparative study

Background and Objectives: Various studies indicating that cannabis is associated with various psychiatric disorders despite which is a controversy existing regarding the legalisation of cannabis by all the promoters and consumers of the substance. Our objective was to find out the knowledge and awareness among the 1st year and final year medical students toward the effects and experiences with the consumption of cannabis. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study done on first and final year medical students between July 2019 and August 2019 in Sri Devaraj Urs higher education and research center, who are assessed using a structured and validated instrument, Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire-Brief (MEEQ-B) questionnaire. Results: Both the first-year and final-year medical students in our study had poor awareness and inadequate knowledge about the various adverse effects of cannabis, especially on all the six parameters of the MEEQ questionnaire. Conclusion: Extensive and elaborative teaching regarding substance use, especially of cannabis and its implication must be updated in the curriculum of both UG teaching and PG teaching in other specialities as well.

Mediating Effects of Global Negative Effect Expectancies on the Association between Problematic Cannabis Use and Social Anxiety.

The relationship between social anxiety (SA) and cannabis use among adolescents and young adults is a highly debated topic. In this cross-sectional study, we tested whether cannabis use expectancies mediated the association between SA and cannabis use severity in a sample of 343 young adults (74.3% male) who used cannabis. They completed self-report measures for the screening of problematic cannabis use (Cannabis Use Problems Identification Test) and SA symptoms (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and Social Phobia Scale). A multiple mediation analysis was used to test whether marijuana effect expectancies mediate SA effect on problematic cannabis use. SA was negatively associated with cannabis use severity in this sample, and we found evidence that cannabis use expectancies fully mediated this relationship. Specifically, global negative effect expectancies influence the relationship between SA and problematic cannabis use. These findings may inform current prevention strategies and clinical intervention for young adults who use cannabis.

Marijuana Use, Marijuana Expectancies, and Hypersexuality among College Students

ABSTRACTResearch supports links between marijuana effect expectancies and risky sexual behaviors among marijuana users, but associations between marijuana expectancies and hypersexuality have yet to be investigated. The current study examined links between marijuana lifetime use and hypersexuality among university students. A hierarchical regression adjusting for gender and alcohol use was used to determine the degree to which marijuana use and expectancies accounted for variance in hypersexuality. Marijuana lifetime use and hypersexuality were significantly and positively related. After adjusting for covariates, marijuana perceptual and cognitive enhancement expectancies positively correlated with hypersexuality, while tension reduction and relaxation expectancies negatively correlated with hypersexuality.

Validation of the Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire (MEEQ) in a Non-Clinical French-Speaking Adolescent Sample.

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.

Cannabis Use Expectancies Mediate the Relation Between Depressive Symptoms and Cannabis Use Among Cannabis-Dependent Veterans

The current study examined the cross-sectional associations between depressive symptoms and cannabis use, and the mediating role of positive and negative expectancies of cannabis use. Participants (n = 100) were cannabis-dependent veterans recruited as part of a larger self-guided cannabis quit study. Baseline (prequit) data were used. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the General Depression subscale of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS), and cannabis use expectancies were assessed using the Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire. Quantity of cannabis use in the past 90 days was assessed with the Timeline Follow-Back. A parallel multiple mediation path analysis was conducted to simultaneously examine the effects of positive and negative expectancies as mediators of the relation between IDAS-Depression and prequit cannabis use. Results indicated that depressive symptoms were indirectly related to cannabis use through positive, but not negative, expectancies. This effect was unique to IDAS-Dysphoria symptoms. Depressive symptoms, particularly cognitive-affective symptom features, may be important to consider in better understanding positive cannabis effect expectancies among veterans in regard to cannabis use.

Psychometric properties of a valuations scale for the Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire

Given that marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit substance, identification of the role of potentially malleable cognitive factors in marijuana-related behaviors remains an important goal. The Marijuana Effect Expectancies Questionnaire (MEEQ; Schafer & Brown, 1991) assesses marijuana effect expectancies that are differentially related to marijuana use and use-related problems. Evaluation of the desirability of marijuana effect expectancies may provide additional information regarding cognitions related to marijuana use behaviors. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire—Valuations Scale (MEEQ-V) which was developed for this study to assess the desirability of marijuana effect expectancies. The sample was comprised of 925 (73.0% female) undergraduate participants, 41.9% of whom endorsed lifetime marijuana use and 24.7% of whom reported current (past three-month) use. The MEEQ-V scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Most (but not all) MEEQ-V scales were correlated with their corresponding MEEQ scale. There was some support for convergent validity. MEEQ-V scales were differentially related to frequency of marijuana use and use-related problems. Most MEEQ-V scales were related to frequency of marijuana use above and beyond variance attributable to corresponding MEEQ scales. Results suggest that assessment of desirability of marijuana's effects could provide unique and important information about cognitions related to marijuana use behaviors.

Cannabis Expectancies in Substance Misusers: French Validation of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire

The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the French version of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire (48 items) and study the cannabis expectancies according to the patterns of substance use and psychiatric disorders (DSM-IV). A sample of 263 subjects (average age 33.1 years [SD = 8.7], 56% men) consisting of cannabis users (n = 64), psychiatric inpatients (n = 175, most of whom were hospitalized for withdrawal), and a control group (n = 24) completed the questionnaire. Internal reliability was good (α= .87) and temporal reliability was satisfactory, with 24 of 48 items having a significant κ ≥ .41. Factor analysis showed four main factors that explained 42.1% of the total variance. The women feared Cognitive Impairment and Negative Effects, and Negative Behavioral Effects more than the men. The onset age of cannabis use, onset age of abuse, abuse and dependence were associated with fewer negative expectancies. Cannabis dependents differed from abusers by more Relaxation and Social Facilitation expectancies. Patients with major depressive episodes, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder feared negative effects the most. Schizophrenic patients expected more Perceptual Enhancement and Craving. The French version of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire has good psychometric properties and is valid to assess cannabis expectancies in adolescents and adults with substance use disorders.

Social anxiety disorder and marijuana use problems: the mediating role of marijuana effect expectancies

Individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) appear particularly vulnerable to marijuana-related problems. Yet, mechanisms underlying this association are unclear. This study examined the role of marijuana effect expectancies in the relation between SAD and marijuana problems among 107 marijuana users (43.0% female), 26.2% of whom met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition criteria for SAD. Anxiety and mood disorders were determined during clinical interviews using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-IV-L (ADIS-IV). Analyses (including sex, marijuana use frequency, major depressive disorder, and other anxiety disorders) suggest that SAD was the only disorder significantly associated with past 3-month marijuana problems. Compared to those without SAD, individuals with SAD were more likely to endorse the following marijuana expectancies: cognitive/behavioral impairment and global negative expectancies. Importantly, these expectancies mediated the relations between SAD status and marijuana problems. These data support the contention that SAD is uniquely related to marijuana problems and provide insight into mechanisms underlying this vulnerability.

Validation of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire-Brief

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate a brief version of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire (MEEQ; Schafer & Brown, 1991). The original MEEQ was reduced to 6 items (MEEQ-B). Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed and two factors were identified (positive effects and negative effects) accounting for 52.3% of the variance. Internal consistencies (0.42 to 0.60) were slightly lower than those of the original MEEQ. The negative effect expectancy scale correlated with criterion variables that assess marijuana use (p ≤ .05). This measure is a helpful tool for clinicians to use when assessing youth expectancies. Replication across different samples of adjudicated youth is recommended.

Marijuana effect expectancies: Relations to social anxiety and marijuana use problems

High social anxiety is related to marijuana problems, yet the nature of this relation remains unclear. We examined relations between marijuana effect expectancies, social anxiety, and marijuana among undergraduates (N=337). Social anxiety was related positively to Negative Expectancies and negatively to Tension Reduction Expectancies. Among socially anxious individuals, greater belief that marijuana produces Cognitive and Behavioral Impairment was associated with greater marijuana use rates. Negative Expectancies mediated the social anxiety–marijuana problems link. These data provide new insight into problematic marijuana use among this high-risk group.

Evaluations and expectancies of alcohol and marijuana problems among college students.

Two studies examined the associations between evaluations (good-bad) and expected likelihood (likely-unlikely) of alcohol- and marijuana-related problems and hazardous consumption and problems among college students. Participants provided data on alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and expectancies and evaluations of alcohol problems; marijuana use indices, marijuana-related problems, marijuana effect expectancies, and likelihood and evaluations of marijuana problems. Evaluations of alcohol problems were positively related to the number of binge drinking occasions and alcohol-related problems. The interaction between evaluations and expectancies was significant in predicting the number of binge drinking occasions. Expectancies demonstrated a curvilinear relationship with binge drinking and alcohol-related problems. Marijuana users evaluated marijuana-related problems as less negative and less likely to occur than did nonusers. Expectancies, but not evaluations, of negative consequences were significantly associated with marijuana use intensity. Expectancies of problems demonstrated a curvilinear relationship with marijuana-use intensity and marijuana problems. Men evaluated alcohol and marijuana problems less negatively than did women. In summary, the expected likelihood of alcohol-marijuana problems and the evaluation of such problems represent a vulnerability factor associated with increased liability for hazardous alcohol and marijuana use.

Moderating effects of sensitivity to punishment and sensitivity to reward on associations between marijuana effect expectancies and use.

The study examined associations between sensitivity to reward (SR), sensitivity to punishment (SP), positive and negative expectancies, and marijuana use in a college sample (N = 809). Marijuana users (n = 227) reported lower SP and greater SR than nonusers. SR attenuated the association between SP and the probability of marijuana use. SP attenuated the association between positive expectancies and the probability of marijuana use as well as the frequency of use among users. SP potentiated the association between negative expectancies and use. The results indicate that SP and SR have interactive effects and that SP moderates the strength of positive and negative cues for risk behavior.

Psychometric evaluation of the marijuana and stimulant effect expectancy questionnaires for adolescents

Alcohol expectancies are important in the mediation and prediction of alcohol use. Expectancies for the effects of other drugs, although less well delineated, appear equally important. Therefore, development and validation of expectancy measures for drugs other than alcohol is necessary for evaluating the importance of these constructs. We examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire (MEEQ) and the Stimulant Effect Expectancy Questionnaire (SEEQ) in clinical and community samples of adolescents as they moved into young adulthood ( N=279). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) supported the a priori factors, and we found good reliability for most individual scales. Temporal stability and convergent and discriminant validity of drug effect expectancies were supported in this sample of adolescents and young adults. Drug effect expectancies were associated with drug preference and drug use patterns over 2 years. Use of these measures may aid our understanding of the etiology and course of marijuana and stimulant involvement during adolescence and young adulthood.

Validation of cocaine and marijuana effect expectancies in a treatment setting

This study sought to establish the validity of the Cocaine Effect Expectancy Questionnaire (CEEQ), and the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire (MEEQ) in discriminating between patterns of drug use in a clinical population. Prior research with these questionnaires has involved primarily nonclinical samples. Expectancy literature has yielded ambiguous results in demonstrating the role of both positive and negative expectancies in regards to drug use patterns. The sample consisted of 149 males on an inpatient V.A. substance abuse unit. On the CEEQ, cocaine users, particularly frequent users, endorsed fewer global positive cocaine expectancies than infrequent or nonusers. Present-infrequent users endorsed greater arousal effects than either present-frequent or nonusers. Nonusers of cocaine endorsed greater relaxation than present users. On the MEEQ, nonusers expected more negative effects from marijuana than users. Present users expected greater relaxation and craving effects than past users or nonusers. These results indicate different roles for positive and negative expectancies in cocaine and marijuana use.

Marijuana and cocaine effect expectancies and drug use patterns.

Self-reports from 704 college students were content analyzed and used to develop the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire and Cocaine Effect Expectancy Questionnaire. Responses were examined using exploratory and confirmatory principle components analysis. Six marijuana expectancies (34.6% of variance) were identified: (a) cognitive and behavioral impairment, (b) relaxation and tension reduction, (c) social and sexual facilitation, (d) perceptual and cognitive enhancement, (e) global negative effects, and (f) craving and physical effects. Five cocaine expectancies (32.5% of variance) consisted of (a) global positive effects, (b) global negative effects, (c) generalized arousal, (d) anxiety, and (e) relaxation and tension reduction. Drug effect expectancies distinguished between patterns of nonuse and varying degrees of use of these two drugs.