Investigating the mediational role of negative urgency in the anxiety sensitivity pathway to cannabis problems and dependence symptoms among postsecondary students.

OBJECTIVES: Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is associated with cannabis use. People high in AS may use cannabis to cope with elevated anxiety. This association is consistently supported in the literature. However, we have much to learn about the mechanisms of the AS pathway to cannabis use. We aimed to examine negative urgency-the tendency to act impulsively when distressed-as a mediator of the association of AS with cannabis problems and cannabis dependence symptoms. We hypothesized that negative urgency would uniquely mediate the association of AS with cannabis outcomes after controlling for other facets of impulsivity.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Postsecondary students (N = 91; Fall 2012) completed online self-reports. To participate, students needed to be ≥18 years old, enrolled in postsecondary studies, and needed to report current cannabis use.

RESULTS: Negative urgency uniquely mediated associations between AS and cannabis problems and dependence symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a mechanistic role of negative urgency in the AS pathway to cannabis misuse.