(PS1-A19) The Role of Rumination in Impulsivity and Cannabis-related Problems Among Weekly Cannabis Users

According to the Emotional Cascade Model, rumination may increase negative emotions and decrease self-regulation. Individuals may then engage in impulsive behavior, including substance use, to relieve these feelings. Specifically, impulsivity is associated with higher cannabis-related problems. Trauma is associated with both rumination and cannabis use disorder. Previous research has examined the roles of rumination and impulsivity individually in cannabis-related problems, but not how these variables may affect one another, and, in turn, cannabis-related problems. Based on prior research and the Emotional Cascade Model, we hypothesized a mediational model in which 1) rumination is associated with higher impulsivity, 2) impulsivity is associated with higher cannabis-related problems, and 3) impulsivity mediates the relationship between rumination and cannabis-related problems among trauma-exposed cannabis users.

56 participants were recruited as part of a larger study and were required to have sleep difficulty, trauma exposure, and use cannabis every week. The sample consisted of mostly female (58.9%) participants, ranging in age from 18 to 41 years old (M = 20.70). The majority of the sample was white (73.2%) with a minority of participants identifying as Black (21.4%), Asian (1.8%), or Other (3.6%). Participants completed cross-sectional self-report surveys that measured rumination (Ruminative Response Scale), impulsivity (Barratt Inhibition Scale), cannabis-related problems (Marijuana Problems Scale), and overall cannabis use frequency (Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test).

Mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS version 4.3. We entered rumination as the predictor, impulsivity as the mediator, and cannabis-related problems as the criterion variable, while controlling for cannabis use frequency. The entire model accounted for a significant 23.77% of the variance in cannabis-related problems (F (2, 53) = 8.26, p < .001). The a path was significant, with rumination significantly associated with impulsivity (B = .41, SE = .11, p = .0004). The b path was significant, with impulsivity significantly associated with cannabis-related problems (B = .14, SE = .05, p = .0136). The indirect effect of rumination on cannabis-related problems via impulsivity was also significant (B = .06, 95% CI [.01, .13]).

Consistent with hypotheses, results indicated that trauma-exposed cannabis users who have more rumination report elevated impulsivity, and, in turn, cannabis-related problems, after accounting for cannabis use frequency. Rumination may worsen negative emotions, and increase impulsivity by increasing negative urgency. In turn, impulsivity may lead to prioritizing of immediately rewarding behaviors (e.g., cannabis use) despite potential longer-term problems (e.g., social, psychological, financial). Future studies should use longitudinal data to test these hypotheses as cross-sectional data cannot test causal mediation models and incorporate other measures such as observer report. Findings support the Emotional Cascade Model, and identify impulsivity as a potential mediator of the association between rumination and cannabis-related problems among trauma-exposed cannabis users.