Emerging Adult Perspectives on Cannabis Use to Inform Brief Early Intervention: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objective: While cannabis brief interventions for emerging adults (age 18-25) are feasible, evidence for their efficacy is limited and mixed. The goal of the current study was to leverage qualitative research methods to inform novel content to improve the efficacy of cannabis brief interventions.  Method: Twelve emerging adults (67% female, M_age = 21.1, 50% white) who frequently use cannabis (3+ times per week in the past month) participated in qualitative interviews focused on eliciting perceptions of: (1) personalized normative feedback (PNF), (2) severity of cannabis use consequences, (3) problematic cannabis use, and (4) the reasons emerging adults use cannabis.. Results: While participants were intrigued by PNF, they did not expect this type of approach to significantly impact their use unless they were already motivated to change. Participants believed that more common consequences associated with cannabis use were less severe, and participants’ perceptions of problematic cannabis use were extreme, rather than considered on a continuum, but tended to minimize symptoms of physiological dependence. Finally, participants indicated that some reasons for use may be more acceptable than others and that using out of boredom could be problematic, especially if combined with highly convenient methods of use (e.g., pens/carts/vapes). Conclusions: Taken together, our results provide nuance to emerging adult cannabis use and may be useful in informing future cannabis brief intervention approaches for this population.