Cannabis use and psychotherapeutic outcomes for PTSD in Canadian military and veterans

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dc.contributor.authorSouthall, Martine
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeEnns, Murray (Psychiatry)
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeBarber, Kevin (Clinical Health Psychology)
dc.contributor.supervisorHolens, Pamela
dc.date.accessioned2024-09-11T14:56:04Z
dc.date.available2024-09-11T14:56:04Z
dc.date.issued2024-09-10
dc.date.submitted2024-09-10T23:51:59Zen_US
dc.degree.disciplinePsychology
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts (M.A.)
dc.description.abstractCanadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and veterans are increasingly choosing cannabis to manage mental health symptoms, including those of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although psychotherapeutic treatments are recommended for PTSD, there is a lack of high-quality research regarding the potential impacts of cannabis use on treatment outcomes. The little research that has examined cannabis use and psychotherapeutic treatment for PTSD has produced mixed results. There is also a lack of detailed information on cannabis use characteristics (e.g., frequency, THC potency, CBD:THC ratio) of CAF members and veterans and how these may relate to treatment outcomes. Further, little is known about CAF members’ and veterans’ experiences of cannabis use during psychotherapeutic treatment. This study utilized a pre-post-follow-up design to examine psychotherapeutic treatment outcomes of 11 treatment-seeking CAF members and veterans with clinical or sub-clinical PTSD. Multilevel modelling was used to compare outcomes of those who use cannabis (n = 4), and those who did not use cannabis (n = 7). No statistically significant results were found, however the comparison was of low power due to sample size. A regression analysis examined the potential relationships between cannabis-use characteristics and PTSD symptoms at pre-treatment (which included all participants who for whom there was adequate data), however, again, there were no statistically significant results and the analysis was of low power (n = 9). Descriptive results on cannabis use characteristics highlighted a high degree of heterogeneity even in the small sample suggesting that future research that measures cannabis in a more detailed way may aid in clarifying the currently mixed findings. Thematic analysis of open-ended questions highlighted several important themes regarding factors influencing cannabis use decisions and experiences. Careful consideration of both benefits and drawbacks of cannabis, as well as personal beliefs and history, appear to play important roles in cannabis use choices and experiences. Clinicians could benefit from the knowledge that cannabis use varies considerably in this population, and from understanding factors that may relate to their clients’ cannabis use decisions and experiences. Clinicians could use themes identified in this study as starting points for more informed conversations around cannabis use with clients.
dc.description.noteOctober 2024
dc.description.sponsorshipRoyal Canadian Legion Canadian Institute of Military and Veteran Health Research University of Manitoba
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1993/38564
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsopen accessen_US
dc.subjectCanadian Armed Forces
dc.subjectmilitary
dc.subjectveterans
dc.subjectcannabis
dc.subjectPTSD
dc.titleCannabis use and psychotherapeutic outcomes for PTSD in Canadian military and veterans
dc.typemaster thesisen_US
local.subject.manitobano
oaire.awardTitleCanadian Graduate Scholarship - Masters
project.funder.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100000024
project.funder.nameCanadian Insitutes of Health Research
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