Pain predicts past-month co-use of alcohol and cannabis among emerging adults: Results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
Alcohol use, cannabis use, and pain are public health concerns among emerging adults (18-24 years old). Co-use of alcohol and cannabis is of particular concern since individuals who co-use alcohol and cannabis use more of each substance and experience greater substance-related harm. Pain and substance use frequently co-occur, and a growing body of literature indicates pain is unique risk factor for substance use. The goal of the current study was to examine moderate/severe pain (vs. no/low pain) as a prospective predictor of engaging in co-use of alcohol and cannabis among emerging adults, and to test sex as a moderator of this hypothesized relationship. Data were drawn from Waves 1-5 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (n = 3544). Unadjusted logistic regression revealed that those with moderate/severe pain at baseline were 1.4 times more likely to engage in past-month co-use of alcohol and cannabis over the next four years (p = .046). The effects of pain on co-use were no longer significant after inclusion of covariates and a painâsex interaction term, which was also nonsignificant (ps > .05). These findings provide initial support for pain as a risk factor for engaging in co-use of alcohol and cannabis during emerging adulthood. Future research should continue investigating how pain may motivate co-use of alcohol and cannabis, exploring how pain is associated with other measures of co-use, and determining how providers can incorporate pain-substance use psychoeducation for emerging adults in clinical settings.
