Exploring the Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Coping Motives on Cannabis-related Consequences: A Daily Diary Study among Emerging Adults

Emerging adults (EAs; ages 18-25) have the highest rates of cannabis use and cannabis-related consequences relative to other age groups. There is substantial evidence pointing to emotion dysregulation and coping motives as important variables impacting cannabis-related consequences, however, current research is limited in examining their collective impact. The current study sought to explore trait-level facets of emotion dysregulation and state-level coping motives to determine their influence on cannabis-related consequences among EAs. Data were collected daily from 64 cannabis-using EAs who reported their cannabis use, motives, and consequences over 30 days. Emotion dysregulation was assessed at baseline. A mediation model was used to examine whether coping motives influence the relationship between emotion dysregulation and cannabis use. Hierarchical linear modelling tested whether emotion dysregulation facets moderated the within-person relationship between coping motives and cannabis problems. Findings highlight two significant facets of emotion dysregulation, Nonacceptance of Emotional Responses and Limited Access to Emotion Regulation Strategies, as contributing to coping-motivated cannabis use and subsequent cannabis-related consequences. These results help elucidate the underlying mechanisms that protect EAs from cannabis-related consequences and can be used to develop effective screening tools and interventions to help prevent problematic cannabis consumption.M.A