Rachel Lees
Rachel is a final year PhD student in the Department of Psychology, Addiction and Mental Health group at the University of Bath. Her PhD is investigating Cannabis Use Disorder in young people, looking at both risk factors and treatment options using epidemiological and clinical trial methods.
Childhood mental health as predictors of later problematic cannabis use in adolescence
Cannabis use is particularly prevalent in young populations, who are more vulnerable to developing problems related to their cannabis use than older people. Identifying patterns of cannabis problems across adolescence, and which modifiable risk factors precede them, could help to develop targeted, preventative interventions. This talk will present data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a prospective, birth-cohort study based in South-West England. Using longitudinal latent class analysis, we determined five classes of individuals based on their patterns of cannabis problems over six time points from age 15–24. I will present findings on associations between childhood externalising and internalising disorders, as well as cognitive function with these later patterns of cannabis problems.