Cannabis use and attenuated positive and negative symptoms in youth at clinical high risk for psychosis.
Olga Santesteban-Echarri, Lu Liu, Madeline Miller, C. Bearden, K. Cadenhead, Tyrone D. Cannon, B. Cornblatt, M. Keshavan, D. Mathalon, T. Mcglashan, D. Perkins, L. Seidman, W. Stone, M. Tsuang, E. Walker, S. Woods, J. Addington
Schizophrenia Research August 25, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.08.005 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractYouth at clinical high-risk for psychosis report more lifetime, past-six-month, and baseline cannabis use than healthy controls, along with greater frequency, severity, and rates of cannabis use disorder. Among high-risk youth, those who use cannabis show higher baseline grandiosity and lower social anhedonia at 12 months. Cannabis use severity was unrelated to clinical status at two years and did not distinguish those who later developed psychosis from those who did not. The small number of cannabis users in the high-risk group limited statistical power.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Prospective longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 806 |
| Population | Youth age 12-30 at clinical high-risk for psychosis and healthy controls |
| Duration | 2-year follow-up |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Cannabis use severity was unrelated to clinical status at two years and did not differentiate high-risk youth who transitioned to psychosis from those who did not. |
Abstract
Cannabis use is more prevalent among youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis than healthy controls (HC). There is mixed evidence as to whether cannabis use is associated with increased severity of attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS) or whether current cannabis use is associated with the transition to psychosis. This study aims to assess cannabis use differences between CHR youth and HC and the impact of cannabis use on APS, clinical status, and transition to psychosis. Participants were from the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study-3, a prospective longitudinal study including 710 individuals, age 12-30, meeting criteria for a psychosis risk syndrome based on the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes, and 96 HC. Cannabis use, frequency, and severity of use were assessed with the Alcohol Use Scale/Drug Use Scale. Current and past cannabis use disorders were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5. Compared to HC, CHR individuals reported significantly increased lifetime cannabis use, during the past six months, and at baseline; greater frequency and severity of cannabis use; and increased prevalence of cannabis use disorder. Relative to CHR youth without cannabis use, CHR cannabis users had significantly higher ratings on baseline grandiosity and lower 12-months social anhedonia. Severity of cannabis was unrelated to clinical status at 2-years, and it did not differentiate CHR individuals who transitioned to psychosis from those who did not. However, a major limitation was that the current number of CHR cannabis users was small, and survival analyses resulted in a smaller power than the 80 % recommended.