title: The role of decision-making in cannabis-related problems among young adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Deficits in decision-making and episodic memory are often reported among heavy cannabis users, yet little is known on how they influence negative consequences from cannabis use. Individual differences in decision-making may explain, in part, why some individuals experience significant problems from their cannabis use whereas others do not. We hypothesized that poor decision-making would moderate relationships between amount of cannabis use and problems from cannabis use whereas episodic memory performance would not.
  
  
  METHODS
  Young adult cannabis users (n=52) with cannabis as their drug of choice and with minimal comorbidities completed semi-structured interviews, self-report questionnaires, and measures of neurocognitive functioning, with decision-making accessed via the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), episodic memory via the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised (HVLT) and problems from cannabis use with the Marijuana Problems Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Strong relationships were observed between amount of cannabis use (lifetime, 12-month, and 30-day) and problems reported from use, but only among participants with low (impaired) decision-making (R(2)=.39 to .51; p<.01). No significant relationships were observed among those with better (low average to high average) decision-making performance (p>.05). In contrast, episodic memory performance was not a significant moderator of the relationship between amount of cannabis use and cannabis problems (p>.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cannabis users with poor decision-making may be at greater risk for experiencing significant negative consequences from their cannabis use. Our results lend further support to emerging evidence of decision-making as a risk factor for addiction and extend these findings to cannabis users.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33199, United States; Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33199, United States. Electronic address: raul.gonzalezjr@fiu.edu.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
authors.forename: Randi M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, 1200 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States; Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, 1747 W Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL 60608, United States.
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mermelstein
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, 1747 W Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL 60608, United States.
authors.forename: Kathleen R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Diviak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Addiction; Cannabis; Decision-making