Use and co-use of tobacco and cannabis among couples impacted by alcohol use disorder.

Background

Tobacco and cannabis are common among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD); however, co-use is less understood among couples impacted by AUD.

Objectives

This study characterized alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis co-use among individuals with AUD (i.e. identified patient; IP) and partners in two dyadic AUD samples separately. It also examined associations within individuals (i.e. intrapersonal) and between partners for the same (i.e. intraclass) and different substances (i.e. interpersonal).

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of 96 treatment-seeking couples with AUD (N = 192, 96.9% mixed-sex couples, 51% female) and 46 non-treatment seeking couples with AUD and intimate partner violence (N = 92, 87.0% mixed-sex couples, 56.5% female), separately.

Results

Among IPs, alcohol-cannabis co-use ranged from 31.3%-45.7%; alcohol-tobacco co-use ranged from 19.8%-30.4%; and alcohol-tobacco-cannabis use ranged from 10.4%-17.4%. In the treatment-seeking sample, one partner's quantity of tobacco use correlated with their partner's frequency of use (r = .39); Partners demonstrated similarities in tobacco quantity (r = .30) and frequency (r = .45). For the non-treatment-seeking one partner's quantity of tobacco use correlated with their partner's frequency of tobacco use (r = .72) and between one partner's frequency of tobacco use and their partner's quantity of alcohol use (r = .30). Partners demonstrated similarities in tobacco quantity (r = .81), and frequency (r = .62), and frequency of alcohol use (r = .37).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that couples demonstrate interdependent patterns of substance use, and preliminary support for a tobacco-alcohol cross-effect suggesting partner influences may be relevant across, not just within, substance types.