ORIGINAL PAPER
Problematic cannabis use in student athletes and non-athletes: associations with mental health
1
School of Psychological Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
2
Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
Submission date: 2025-10-28
Final revision date: 2026-04-20
Acceptance date: 2026-04-26
Online publication date: 2026-07-06
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance, and young adults exhibit the highest prevalence of use in the United States. College athletes represent a unique subgroup where cannabis use may intersect with mental health outcomes differ-ently than in non-athletes. This study investigated cannabis-related problems and mental health difficulties among college student athletes and non-athletes.
Participants and procedure:
497 participants from a Pacific Northwest university, including 183 athletes and 314 non-athletes, completed self-report measures assessing depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PHQ-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7), and substance use problems (Cutting down, Annoyance by criticism, Guilty feeling, and Eye openers Adapted to Include Drugs; CAGE-AID). Statistical analyses included chi-square tests to compare cannabis-related problems between athletes and non-athletes and 2 × 2 analysis of variance to test interaction effects between athlete status and cannabis-related prob-lems on mental health outcomes.
Results:
Non-athletes reported significantly more cannabis-related problems than athletes. Individuals with cannabis-related prob-lems reported higher levels of depression and anxiety than those who did not report such problems. Likewise, non-athletes reported higher levels of depression and anxiety than athletes.
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that athlete status may be protective against cannabis-related problems, but further longitudinal stud-ies are needed to understand the directionality between cannabis-related problems and mental health symptoms among both athletes and non-athletes.
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance, and young adults exhibit the highest prevalence of use in the United States. College athletes represent a unique subgroup where cannabis use may intersect with mental health outcomes differ-ently than in non-athletes. This study investigated cannabis-related problems and mental health difficulties among college student athletes and non-athletes.
Participants and procedure:
497 participants from a Pacific Northwest university, including 183 athletes and 314 non-athletes, completed self-report measures assessing depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PHQ-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7), and substance use problems (Cutting down, Annoyance by criticism, Guilty feeling, and Eye openers Adapted to Include Drugs; CAGE-AID). Statistical analyses included chi-square tests to compare cannabis-related problems between athletes and non-athletes and 2 × 2 analysis of variance to test interaction effects between athlete status and cannabis-related prob-lems on mental health outcomes.
Results:
Non-athletes reported significantly more cannabis-related problems than athletes. Individuals with cannabis-related prob-lems reported higher levels of depression and anxiety than those who did not report such problems. Likewise, non-athletes reported higher levels of depression and anxiety than athletes.
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that athlete status may be protective against cannabis-related problems, but further longitudinal stud-ies are needed to understand the directionality between cannabis-related problems and mental health symptoms among both athletes and non-athletes.
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