Latent Profiles of Cannabis Use Patterns and Associations with Binge Eating and Eating Pathology Outcomes

Abstract

As rates of recreational cannabis use continue to increase among United States adults, there is growing interest in understanding potential health co-mordibities and vulnerabilities. Although past work supports cannabis use and eating pathology comorbidity, and cannabis use can enhance appetite and reward responses to food, little is known about how specific patterns of cannabis use may relate to binge eating and other forms of eating disorder pathology. The purpose of this study is to identify distinct subgroups of recreational cannabis users based on several use characteristics, including subjective changes to appetite and hedonic properties of food using latent profile analysis, and to examine differences across profiles in binge eating and other eating disorder symptoms. Participants (N = 435, male = 189) were adults recruited through Prolific who endorsed past-month cannabis use and completed a battery of self-report measures assessing cannabis use characteristics, eating changes while using cannabis, eating pathology, and emotion regulation. Results supported four unique profiles of cannabis users based on six indicators: “Infrequent Users, Moderate Eating Changes, Low Risk,” “Intense Users, Low Eating Changes, Mild Risk,” “High-Risk Coping Users, Strong Eating Changes,” and “Frequent Users, Slight Eating Changes, Mild Risk.” While all profiles reported more binge eating symptoms while under the influence of cannabis, the “High Risk Coping Users, Strong Eating Changes” profile reported more frequent/severe binge eating symptoms, greater endorsement of other eating pathology symptoms, and more difficulties with emotion regulation compared to other profiles. Findings highlight the utility of person-centered approaches for capturing co-morbidity risk, and may help guide screening and intervention tools for determining eating disorder risk among those using cannabis.