title: The effects of mental health symptoms and marijuana expectancies on marijuana use and consequences among at-risk adolescents.
abstract: Based on expectancy theory, adolescents at risk for mental health symptoms, such as those involved in the juvenile court system, may use marijuana due to the belief that use will attenuate anxiety and depressive symptoms. In a diverse sample of youth involved in the Santa Barbara Teen Court system (N = 193), we examined the association between mental health symptoms and marijuana expectancies on marijuana use and consequences. In general, stronger positive expectancies and weaker negative expectancies were both associated with increased marijuana use. Youth that reported more symptoms of both anxiety and depression and stronger positive expectancies for marijuana also reported more consequences. We found that youth experiencing the greatest level of consequences from marijuana were those that reported more depressive symptoms and stronger positive expectancies for marijuana. Findings suggest that these symptoms, combined with strong positive expectancies about marijuana's effects, have implications for consequences among at-risk youth.
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
authors.forename: Eric R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
authors.forename: Jeremy N V
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
authors.forename: Karen Chan
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Osilla
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
authors.forename: Brett A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Ewing
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
authors.forename: Sarah B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: D'Amico
keywords: at-risk youth; depression; expectancies; marijuana; mental health