Associations of Disability and Social Support with Cannabis Use Among Adults with Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

Objective: People with (versus without) disabilities may be more likely to use cannabis medicinally, especially if they lack social support to cope with symptoms. However, associations of social support and disability with cannabis use remain largely unexplored. Method: Adults with clinically significant anxiety and/or depressive symptoms participating in a clinical trial completed a baseline survey assessing past-month medical and recreational cannabis use, self-perceived disability (yes/no), perceived social support, and sociodemographics. Regression models examined the association between disability and social support, and the main and interactive effects of disability and social support on past-month medical and recreational cannabis use, adjusting for race and ethnicity, gender, age, and income. Results: The sample (N = 822) was 25.3% American Indian, 25.1% Black, 25.1% White, and 24.6% Latinx (64.6% female; M_age = 38.3 [SD = 12.8]). Half (51.1%) self-reported a health condition that limited activities (i.e., disability); 24.9% reported past-month medical cannabis use, and 25.4% reported past-month recreational cannabis use. Participants with a self-reported disability reported lower average social support than those without (p = .031). A significant (p = .045) disability X social support interaction indicated that social support was associated with lower odds of medical cannabis use among those without (p = .038), but not with (p = .525), disability. Disability and social support were not significantly associated with recreational cannabis use (p-values > .05). Conclusions: Individuals with disabilities had elevated odds of using medical cannabis, regardless of social support. Social support is imperative for well-being, and cannabis use may alleviate some symptoms; however, more accessible, comprehensive healthcare may be needed to support individuals with disabilities.