Cannabis Use and PTSD Symptoms Among Recent Trauma Survivors
Mentor 1
Christine Larson
Start Date
10-5-2022 10:00 AM
Description
While many who experience trauma do not develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a substantial minority do; however at this point it is difficult to predict which trauma survivors will develop PTSD and why. Cannabis use is on the rise in the United States, and engages neural systems involved in the experience of PTSD. However, little research has been done examining the relationship between cannabis use and PTSD symptoms in the acute post-trauma period. We leveraged data from a study of 215 adults recruited from the Emergency Department because they experienced a traumatic injury. They were seen by researchers two weeks to a month after that initial accident, then again six months after the event. Using the data from this study, we asked the question how does recent use of cannabis relate to severity of PTSD symptoms after trauma? The four symptoms of PTSD that were looked at were avoidance, hyperarousal, reexperiencing, and negative altercations in mood. We compared severity of PTSD symptoms among those who reported using cannabis and those who did not, at both two weeks after the accident and six months after. It was found that people who tested positive for cannabis use at both two weeks and six months after their accident, had higher PTSD symptom severity at two week and six month follow-up. For specific symptoms, at two weeks, cannabis users displayed higher severity of hyperarousal and negative alterations than non-users, while reexperiencing and avoidance did not differ. At six months, results showed that cannabis users reported a higher rate of hyperarousal, avoidance, and negative alterations, while reexperiencing did not differ between non-users and users.
Cannabis Use and PTSD Symptoms Among Recent Trauma Survivors
While many who experience trauma do not develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a substantial minority do; however at this point it is difficult to predict which trauma survivors will develop PTSD and why. Cannabis use is on the rise in the United States, and engages neural systems involved in the experience of PTSD. However, little research has been done examining the relationship between cannabis use and PTSD symptoms in the acute post-trauma period. We leveraged data from a study of 215 adults recruited from the Emergency Department because they experienced a traumatic injury. They were seen by researchers two weeks to a month after that initial accident, then again six months after the event. Using the data from this study, we asked the question how does recent use of cannabis relate to severity of PTSD symptoms after trauma? The four symptoms of PTSD that were looked at were avoidance, hyperarousal, reexperiencing, and negative altercations in mood. We compared severity of PTSD symptoms among those who reported using cannabis and those who did not, at both two weeks after the accident and six months after. It was found that people who tested positive for cannabis use at both two weeks and six months after their accident, had higher PTSD symptom severity at two week and six month follow-up. For specific symptoms, at two weeks, cannabis users displayed higher severity of hyperarousal and negative alterations than non-users, while reexperiencing and avoidance did not differ. At six months, results showed that cannabis users reported a higher rate of hyperarousal, avoidance, and negative alterations, while reexperiencing did not differ between non-users and users.
