General Anxiety Disorder Symptoms, Tension Reduction, and Marijuana Use Among Young Adult Females

BACKGROUND: The current study tested the hypothesis that tension reduction expectancies mediate the relationship between anxiety symptoms and marijuana use. METHODS: Interview data for 332 young adult females from Southern New England were collected from 2004 to 2009. RESULTS: In structural equation modeling, anxiety symptoms had a significant direct effect (b(yx) = 0.227, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.086-0.369, p < 0.05) on tension reduction expectancies and a significant indirect effect (b(yx) = 0.026, 95% CI 0.010-0.046, p < 0.05) on marijuana use. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of anxiety symptoms on marijuana use was fully mediated by tension reduction expectancies. Implications for tension reduction as a possible component of treatment interventions are discussed.