(PS1-A14) Associations Between Shame, Self-blame, and Coping-oriented Cannabis Use Among Trauma-exposed Cannabis Users

Trauma-exposed individuals often report experiencing shame (a sense of negative self-evaluation and humiliation) and self-blame (the tendency to think that one is at fault for aversive events). These experiences may motivate substance use to alleviate distress. While studies have investigated the role of shame and self-blame in trauma and coping-oriented substance use, our study is looking at these associations after controlling for a diagnosis of PTSD within a sample who had witnessed, experienced, or learned of a traumatic event. We hypothesized that 1) shame will be positively associated with coping-oriented cannabis use, and 2) self-blame will be positively associated with coping-oriented cannabis use, after covarying for PTSD diagnosis and cannabis use frequency.

Participants were recruited as part of a larger study and were required to be exposed to trauma, use cannabis weekly, and experience poor sleep. 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 self-report surveys that measured trait shame (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), self-blame (Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory), coping-oriented cannabis use (Marijuana Motives Measure), and cannabis use frequency (Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test), as well as a clinical interview assessing for PTSD diagnosis.

Two regression analyses were performed to examine associations between shame, self-blame, and coping-oriented cannabis use. The entire model including shame accounted for a significant 34.9% of the variance in coping-oriented cannabis use (F (3, 50) = 10.46, p < .001). Specifically, after controlling for PTSD diagnosis and cannabis use frequency, shame was a significant predictor for coping-oriented cannabis use (β = .25, t = 2.12, p = .039, sr² = .06). The entire model including self-blame accounted for a significant 36.1% of the variance in coping-oriented cannabis use, (F (3, 48) = 10.62, p < .001). After controlling for PTSD diagnosis and cannabis use frequency, self-blame was a significant predictor for coping-oriented cannabis use (β = .26, t = 2.12, p = .039, sr² = .06).

Consistent with hypothesis, results indicated that elevated shame and self-blame are associated with increased coping-oriented cannabis use. These relationships persisted after controlling for PTSD diagnosis and cannabis use frequency. Participants who feel ashamed and blame themselves for past trauma may cope with these feelings by engaging in more cannabis use, which leads to increased risk of developing cannabis use disorder. Future studies should consider these associations prospectively to determine temporal patterns of association between shame, self-blame, and cannabis use; explore types of measures beyond self-report; and examine other sample demographics, such as adolescents or trauma-exposed populations without sleep difficulties. Future research should continue to explore these relationships and determine whether assessing and targeting shameful emotions and blameful thoughts may help reduce coping-oriented cannabis use.