Cannabis use as a potential mediator between childhood adversity and first-episode psychosis: results from the EU-GEI case–control study
Psychological Medicine May 4, 2023 G. Trotta, Victoria Rodriguez, D. Quattrone et al.
Childhood adversity and cannabis use are both known risk factors for psychosis. This study examined whether cannabis use might explain the link between childhood adversity and psychotic disorders. Data from 881 first-episode psychosis patients and 1231 controls from the EU-GEI study showed that household discord was associated with psychosis partly through cannabis use. Lifetime cannabis use mediated 17% of the association, cannabis potency mediated 14%, and frequency of use mediated 29%. Similar results appeared for early exposure to household discord. The findings suggest that harmful cannabis use patterns partially explain how household discord leads to psychosis, and children exposed to challenging home environments could benefit from interventions to prevent cannabis misuse.