title: Factor structure of cannabis related beliefs in adolescents.
abstract: This study evaluated 285 high school students (163 males, 122 females, with a mean age of 17.5+/-1.1 years) using a questionnaire for the diagnosis of cannabis use and dependence: 159 of them (55.7%) were cannabis users and, among users, 52 subjects (33%) met criteria for cannabis dependence. All subjects were assessed with a self-report questionnaire derived from the questionnaire of anticipatory, relief-oriented, and permissive beliefs for drug addiction elaborated by Tison and Hautekeete [J. Ther. Comport. Cogn. 2 (1998) 43] from the cognitive model of drug addiction formulated by Beck et al. [Cognitive Therapy of Substance Abuse. New York: Guilford Press, 1993]. A confirmatory factor analysis found that the three-category model for drug-related beliefs proposed by Beck et al. provided an adequate fit to the data. Regression analyses showed that permissive beliefs were the dominant predictor for cannabis use and that relief-oriented beliefs were the only predictor of cannabis dependence. These results represent an empirical validation of Beck's model.
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse-Le Mirail, Toulouse, France. chabrol@uni-tlse2.fr
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chabrol
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Massot
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mullet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires