Meaning in Life Moderates Relations between Personality and Temperament and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Hospitalized Adolescents.

Previous research indicates that sensation seeking, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity are predictive of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). A body of research supports that meaning in life predicts improved mental health and well-being, including fewer suicidal thoughts and attempts, yet no research has examined the moderating effects of meaning in life on the relations between personality and temperament and NSSI. Given the growing incidence rates of NSSI among adolescents and the potential lifelong consequences of NSSI, it is imperative to better understand the factors that reduce the rates at which adolescents in a clinical sample engage in NSSI. The present study investigates if the protective factors of meaning in life moderate the relation between personality and temperament variables and NSSI among 126 adolescents (71% female, Mage = 16.1, SD = 1.1, range 13-18, 80% White) residing in an inpatient psychiatric hospital who endorsed NSSI in the last 12 months. Results from hurdle modeling indicate that two subtypes of meaning in life, presence of meaning in life and search for meaning of life, may serve as robust protective factors against engagement in NSSI among a clinical sample of adolescents. Additionally, results suggest that search for meaning, but not presence of meaning in life, variables moderate the relations between personality and temperament and NSSI. Results provide evidence that meaning in life is an understudied variable of importance in understanding how to prevent or treat NSSI. It also underscores the need to develop, refine, and test meaning-making interventions.

Does Accessibility of Cannabis Mediate the Relation Between Method of Acquisition and Cannabis Use Frequency among Adolescents?

Cannabis use frequency among adolescents is associated with negative outcomes. Two variables associated with cannabis use frequency are method of acquisition and accessibility of cannabis. Prior research on the relation between methods of acquisition and cannabis use frequency is sparse. Differences in cannabis use in states in which the sale of recreational cannabis is legal (recreational states) compared to states in which it is not warrants research on how adolescents acquire cannabis in recreational states, and how easy it is for them to do so. The primary way in which adolescents acquire cannabis and the ease by which they can acquire cannabis may be associated with cannabis use frequency via specific interactions. We hypothesized that primarily acquiring cannabis from a store would be positively associated with cannabis use frequency when compared to other primary methods of acquisition, and that accessibility would meditate relations between primary method of acquisition and cannabis use frequency. This study used data from high school students who completed the 2019 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) who reported using cannabis in the past 30 days. Results indicated that primary method of acquisition was significantly differentially associated with 30-day cannabis use frequency, with participants who reported buying cannabis at a store reporting significantly higher 30-day cannabis use frequency than any other method of acquisition. Ease of accessibility was not significantly associated with 30-day cannabis use frequency and did not significantly mediate the relation between primary method of acquisition and 30-day cannabis use frequency. Results of the current study indicate that the ways in which adolescents acquire cannabis are associated with how often they use it. Further, the positive relation between primarily acquiring cannabis at stores and frequency of use provide evidence that access to stores may be a risk factor for cannabis use frequency among adolescents.