title: Cannabis Withdrawal Among Detained Adolescents: Exploring the Impact of Nicotine and Race.
abstract: Rates of marijuana use among detained youths are exceptionally high. Research suggests a cannabis withdrawal syndrome is valid and clinically significant; however, these studies have mostly been conducted in highly controlled laboratory settings with treatment-seeking, White adults. The present study analyzed archival data to explore the magnitude of cannabis withdrawal symptoms within a diverse sample of detained adolescents while controlling for tobacco use and investigating the impact of race on symptom reports. Adolescents recruited from a juvenile correctional facility (N=93) completed a background questionnaire and the Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist. Analyses revealed a significant main effect for level of tobacco use on severity of irritability, and for level of marijuana use on severity of craving to smoke marijuana and strange/wild dreams. Furthermore, a significant main effect for race was found with Black adolescents reporting lower withdrawal discomfort scores and experiencing less severe depressed mood, difficulty sleeping, nervousness/anxiety, and strange/wild dreams. Although exploratory, these findings may have significant clinical implications for providers in juvenile detention facilities, allowing the execution of proper medical and/or behavioral interventions to assist adolescents presenting with problematic cannabis and/or tobacco withdrawal.
authors.affiliation: Social Sciences Research Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881.
authors.forename: Shayna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soenksen
authors.affiliation: Social Sciences Research Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881 ; The Rhode Island Training School, Cranston, RI 02920, USA ; Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA.
authors.forename: L A R
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: The Rhode Island Training School, Cranston, RI 02920, USA ; Division of Adolescent Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA ; Department of Family Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
authors.forename: Joanna D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: The Rhode Island Training School, Cranston, RI 02920, USA ; Division of Adolescent Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
authors.forename: JoAnn R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Stengel
authors.affiliation: Social Sciences Research Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881.
authors.forename: Joseph S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Social Sciences Research Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lebeau
keywords: Adolescents; Cannabis; Nicotine; Race; Withdrawal