Table 4.
CAST characteristics of current users; use frequency and gender differences (n = 7,549).
| Frequency of past year cannabis use, current users only | Valid cases | CAST | |
|---|---|---|---|
| a. Scale score | b. Clinical-range | ||
| n (%) | M (SD) | % | |
| Entire sample | 7,549 (100.0%) | 1.40 (2.66) | 5.96% |
| Less frequent use (≤50 times) | 6,857 (90.8%) | 0.86 (1.74)*** | 1.87% |
| More frequent use (>50 times) | 692 (9.2%) | 6.8 (3.86)*** | 46.53% |
| Men | 3,481 (100%) | 1.83 (3.05) | 8.45% |
| Less frequent use (≤50 times) | 3,016 (86.6%) | 1.05 (1.95)*** | 2.42% |
| More frequent use (>50 times) | 465 (13.4%) | 6.95 (3.83)*** | 47.53% |
| Women | 4,022 (100%) | 1.02 (2.17) | 3.75% |
| Less frequent use (≤50 times) | 3,802 (94.5%) | 0.71 (1.54)*** | 1.39% |
| More frequent use (>50 times) | 220 (5.5%) | 6.48 (3.73)*** | 44.55% |
Note:
* p < .05; ** p < .01; *** p < .001.
Even though a total of 7,575 participants reported past year cannabis-use, only 7,549 completed CAST.
Shown are the unadjusted estimates; average CAST scores and the proportion of respondents scoring within DSM-5 clinical range for use disorder among past-year cannabis users for the two examined use frequency categories.
Noted are significant differences across past-year use frequency categories obtained from: a) t-tests for CAST continuous scale scores; t(7,547) = −73.3, p < .001 for all users; t(3,479) = −51.7, p < .001 for men, and t(4,020) = −47.9, p < .001, for women, and b) Chi-square tests for the distribution of DSM-5 clinical cases, exact Χ2 (1) = 2,200, p < .001 for all users; exact Χ2 (1) = 1,100, p < .001 for men, and exact Χ2 (1) = 1,100, p < .001 for women.
Overall, men had both significantly greater average CAST scores (MMen = 1.83 ± 3.05 vs. MWomen = 1.02 ± 2.17; t(7,501) = −13.3, p < .001) and greater odds of use disorder (8.45% vs. 3.75%, OR = 2.36, CI 95% = 1.93–2.89, p < .001).