Substance Use and Depression in College Students: Comparing Trauma-Specific and General Coping Motives
Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
Trauma exposure is highly prevalent among college students and significantly increases the risk of depression. Many students self-medicate these depressive symptoms with cannabis and alcohol; however, it remains unclear whether the distinction between trauma-related coping is more strongly associated with depression severity compared to general coping motives. Our study examined whether trauma-related coping motives for alcohol and cannabis are more strongly associated with depressive symptoms compared to general coping motives for alcohol and cannabis. Data was collected via an online self-report survey from 788 college students at a large northeastern university (Mage=22.83, SD=6.45; 49.4% White; 80% woman-identifying). Trauma-related alcohol (r = .374, p < .001) and cannabis use (r = .352, p < .001) were significantly and positively associated with depression. General alcohol (r = .387, p < .001) and cannabis use (r = .317, p < .001) coping motives similarly showed significant positive associations with depression. A Steiger's Z-test comparing dependent correlations between depression with trauma-related cannabis and general cannabis motives showed that these associations did not significantly differ (ZH = 1.15, p = .249), nor did the correlations between trauma-related drinking and general drinking motives (ZH = −0.37, p = .71). Results indicate that trauma-specific and general coping motives show similar associations with depression for both cannabis and alcohol use. This suggests that both coping motivations may be similar risk factors for depression. Future research should evaluate whether this pattern of results changes when exploring associations with other mental health conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Sage Hawn
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
shawn@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Psychology
College/School Affiliation
College of Sciences
Student Level Group
Undergraduate
Presentation Type
Poster
Substance Use and Depression in College Students: Comparing Trauma-Specific and General Coping Motives
Trauma exposure is highly prevalent among college students and significantly increases the risk of depression. Many students self-medicate these depressive symptoms with cannabis and alcohol; however, it remains unclear whether the distinction between trauma-related coping is more strongly associated with depression severity compared to general coping motives. Our study examined whether trauma-related coping motives for alcohol and cannabis are more strongly associated with depressive symptoms compared to general coping motives for alcohol and cannabis. Data was collected via an online self-report survey from 788 college students at a large northeastern university (Mage=22.83, SD=6.45; 49.4% White; 80% woman-identifying). Trauma-related alcohol (r = .374, p < .001) and cannabis use (r = .352, p < .001) were significantly and positively associated with depression. General alcohol (r = .387, p < .001) and cannabis use (r = .317, p < .001) coping motives similarly showed significant positive associations with depression. A Steiger's Z-test comparing dependent correlations between depression with trauma-related cannabis and general cannabis motives showed that these associations did not significantly differ (ZH = 1.15, p = .249), nor did the correlations between trauma-related drinking and general drinking motives (ZH = −0.37, p = .71). Results indicate that trauma-specific and general coping motives show similar associations with depression for both cannabis and alcohol use. This suggests that both coping motivations may be similar risk factors for depression. Future research should evaluate whether this pattern of results changes when exploring associations with other mental health conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder.