Grantees

GRANTEE:

Novell Tani, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, and Arie Christon, M.S., Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology

STUDY:

An Analysis of the Marijuana Wellness Intervention on Community, Coping, Substance-Awareness, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Regulation Enhancement via Education (Marijuana WICSE) Project

SUMMARY:

Implementing a novel structured, community-based educational intervention, this project strives to increase individuals' knowledge surrounding the medical use of marijuana and the impacts of medical marijuana and the unlawful use of marijuana in minority communities. The study will assess pre- and post-coping styles, substance awareness (knowledge), self-reported efficacies, and ability to regulate marijuana usage, as well as overall wellness level (namely anxiety, depression, and physiological responses).

Populations

The subjects in this study were 210 unduplicated community participants from surrounding neighborhoods, businesses, and institutions (i.e., barber/beauty shops, churches, clinics, schools etc.).

Methodology

The overall study goal was to determine if educational interventions improve substance/ marijuana-related awareness and smoking abstinence efficacies in participants. The researcher used several statistical analyses, including correlative and regression analyses on key variables.

Results

The following findings were shared as having statistically significant correlations: (1) as access to marijuana increased, so did participants' general knowledge about it; (2) as access to marijuana increased, so did mental disengagement coping techniques; (3) as total marijuana knowledge value improved, so did anxiety levels; (4) as education level increased, so did marijuana knowledge; and Stepwise Regression (Prediction) showed (5) depression and anxiety proved positively predictive of substance use coping, while levels of abstinence self-efficacies proved indicative of lower substance use coping.

Outcomes/Conclusions

Indeed, it appears that educational interventions are statistically correlated with improving substance/marijuana-related awareness and smoking abstinence efficacies in participants.

Impact on MMERI

MMERI may wish to use findings to educate statewide shareholders about the need to improve substance/marijuana related awareness.