Is een onderliggende gevoeligheid de oorzaak van het ontwikkelen van een aandachtsbias voor cannabis?

Abstract

Research shows that cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug in the Netherlands and other Western countries. Theories mention that an attentional bias plays a major role in maintaining anxiety and anxiety plays a role in maintaining an attentional bias. In addition, it has not yet been investigated whether cannabis use and an attentional bias in cannabis plays a role in forming anxiety. The expected link between anxiety and the attention bias for cannabis stems from the connection between anxiety and cannabis use. The main goal of this research was to investigate whether there is evidence of an underlying sensitivity to the development of an attentional bias for cannabis. Method and procedures: Eighty-two adults were involved in the study, all above eighteen years old. The attentional bias was measured by using the Visual Probe Task, a computer task. In the questionnaire Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test – Revised the cannabis use was measured. In the questionnaire Symptom Check List the anxiety symptoms of the participants was measured. Results: There was no correlation found between cannabis use, anxiety and the attentional bias in cannabis. Also a regression on the anxiety and the attentional bias was not found. Conclusions and implications: We found that anxiety does not correlate or predict the attentional bias in cannabis use. Future research should focus on a clinical group with anxiety problems.