Date of Award

2026-05-01

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Theodore V. Cooper

Abstract

Cannabis use has become increasingly normalized among emerging adults, yet associated risks to health remain a growing concern. Cannabis use among Hispanic populations has risen over the past decade, underscoring the need to examine culturally relevant factors that may influence use patterns and related harm. Intragroup marginalization, a culturally specific form of identity-based rejection from one's own ethnic group, may represent one such factor. The present study examined whether intragroup marginalization is associated with cannabis use outcomes and whether cannabis use motives moderate these associations. Participants were 358 Hispanic college students recruited from a U.S.-Mexico border university. Following informed consent, participants completed self-report measures assessing: past month cannabis use (Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and Quantity of Cannabis Use Inventory), hazardous cannabis use (Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test-Revised), cannabis-related consequences (Brief Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire), cannabis use motives (Marijuana Motives Measure), and intragroup marginalization (Intragroup Marginalization Inventory). Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted for each outcome (past month cannabis use, hazardous cannabis use, and cannabis related consequences), while controlling for age and sex. Models tested main effects of intragroup marginalization and cannabis use motives, as well as their interaction terms. Cannabis use motives, particularly coping motives, emerged as a consistent predictor across all cannabis outcomes, demonstrating significant positive associations with past month use, hazardous use, and cannabis-related consequences. In contrast, intragroup marginalization did not significantly predict cannabis outcomes in multivariate models. However, several significant bivariate associations were observed, particularly for family-based marginalization. Moderation analyses indicated that cannabis use motives did not significantly moderate the relationship between intragroup marginalization and cannabis outcomes after correction for multiple comparisons, although some interaction effects approached significance at conventional thresholds. Findings suggest that motivational processes may play a more central role in cannabis-related risk than culturally specific interpersonal stressors in this sample. The lack of significant multivariate effects for intragroup marginalization may indicate that its influence operates indirectly through more immediate psychological mechanisms, such as coping-oriented substance use. Overall, the present study highlights the importance of cannabis use motives in understanding cannabis-related risk among Hispanic emerging adults. These findings support the continued emphasis on motivation-focused prevention and intervention efforts, while also underscoring the need for future research to examine indirect pathways linking culturally specific stressors to substance use outcomes.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

128 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Austin Ray Vernon

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