Cannabis use associated with emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents and young adults
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the association between cannabis use and emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents and young adults aged 12–30 years, with a total sample size of 3,801 participants. The intervention or exposure was cannabis use, compared to non-users or infrequent users, and the primary outcome was self-reported emotion regulation difficulties. The main result indicated that cannabis use was associated with greater emotion regulation difficulties, though specific effect sizes, absolute numbers, p-values, or confidence intervals were not reported in the input.
Safety and tolerability data were not reported in the input. The review was funded by the Health Research Board, and no conflicts of interest were mentioned.
Key limitations include that the results were limited and heterogeneous, with one paper contributing largely to the overall sample size. Only four cross-sectional studies met inclusion criteria, and findings were narratively synthesized due to the limited sample of eligible studies. The evidence remains inconsistent, and results should be observed with caution, as longitudinal studies are needed to clarify causal mechanisms.
In practice, this preliminary evidence suggests a potential link between cannabis use and emotion regulation issues in young populations, but it does not establish causality. Clinicians should recognize the need for more robust, longitudinal, and neurocognitive studies to inform prevention and intervention efforts, avoiding overstatements about global dysregulation or causal mechanisms.
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