The Relationship between Alcohol-Cannabis Use and Stressful Events with the Development of Incident Clinical Psychosis in a Community-Based Prospective Cohort.
U. Kırlı, T. Binbay, K. Alptekin, B. Kayahan, H. Elbi
Turk psikiyatri dergisi = Turkish journal of psychiatry 2021 DOI: 10.5080/u26410 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,718 |
| Population | Community-based adults screened for clinical psychosis at baseline and follow-up |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Heavy alcohol drinking, cannabis use, forensic events, and stressful life events were each associated with higher risk of incident clinical psychosis. Coexistence of two risk factors (heavy drinking, cannabis use, or three or more stressful events) was linked to a 17.7% incidence versus 1.6% with a single risk factor (p<0.001). |
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the associations between alcohol-cannabis use and forensic/stressful events with the risk of incident clinical psychosis during follow-up.
Method: A community-based sample (n: 2142) was screened for clinical psychosis (schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, affective disorders with psychotic features) at baseline and follow-up. Thus, incident clinical psychosis cases to develop during follow-up (individuals with no clinical psychosis at the baseline assessment and with clinical psychosis at the follow-up assessment) were detected (n: 27). These cases and the controls who did not report any psychotic symptoms at the follow-up assessment (n: 1691) were compared for exposure to environmental risk factors during follow-up (total n: 1718).
Results: Individuals reporting heavy alcohol drinking or cannabis use during follow-up had significantly higher risk of incident clinical psychosis. The monthly frequency of drinking and cannabis use was also associated with the risk. Higher number of stressful life events exposed predicted higher risk of incident clinical psychosis. The risk of incident clinical psychosis was significantly higher in case of coexistence of two risk factors (heavy drinking, cannabis use, ≥3 stressful events), in comparison with the existence of a single risk factor (17.7 vs. 1.6%, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Heavy drinking, cannabis use, forensic events and stressful events were associated with the risk of incident clinical psychosis. The coexistence of multiple stressful events and disorders related to abuse of alcohol/cannabis should be considered as a warning for the development of clinical psychosis.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis People with first episode of psychosis and healthy controls from the local population | 2009 | Case-control study | n = 454 |
| Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population | 2013 | Observational study | |
| Impaired cognitive performance in drug free users of recreational ecstasy (MDMA) Otherwise healthy young people | 2000 | Observational | |
| Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study Individuals from the general population in Germany aged 14-24 at baseline | 2011 | Observational cohort | n = 1,923 |
| Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases Patients treated for cannabis-induced psychotic symptoms in Denmark between 1994 and... | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 535 |