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OBJECTIVE: Cannabis (C) and synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are commonly used substances. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic differences predict that SCs involve a greater risk of dependence than C. Dissociative symptoms and suicidality are also frequent in treatmentseeking substance users, however, there is not enough data about the dissociative effects of C and SCs. The present study aimed to examine SC users in terms of demographic features and severity of dissociative symptoms in comparison to C users. It was also aimed to explore the relationships between dissociation and suicide attempts.
METHODS: The study was performed at the Alcohol and Substance Research, Treatment, and Training Centre of Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Turkey. 84 patients with C or SC use disorder included in the study and all the participants were administered a sociodemographic data form assessing also substance use features and suicide attempts and Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). The patients were separated into three groups as only C users (CU), only SC users (SCU) and both C and SC users (C&SCU) and also categorized as DES score <30 as the low dissociation level and DES score of ≥30 as the high dissociation level. Correlations between variables were tested using Spearman correlation coefficients and the predictors of high dissociation level were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: DES mean score was 28.82 in all participants. Dissociation levels (p = 0.058) and high dissociator rates (p = 0.443) were similar among CU, SCU, and C&SCU groups. Age at onset of substance use was negatively correlated with the severity of dissociative symptoms (r = −0.22, p = 0.042). DES mean score of patients with a history of suicide attempt was 40.51, significantly higher than that of those without (23.47). Age at onset of substance use, lifetime years of substance use, type of substance used (C, SC, and C&SC usage) were not significant predictors, only the history of suicide attempt was the significant predictor of high dissociation level (B = 1.886, S.E. = 0.542, Wald = 12.104, df = 1, p = 0.001, OR = 6.596, 95% CI = 2.279-19.089).
CONCLUSIONS: The findings support that dissociation levels are high in C and SC users as in other substance users, however, dissociative effects of C and SCs do not differ from each other. Besides the dissociative effects of C and SC use, there is also a significant effect of the suicide attempt history on the severity of dissociative symptoms. Although the relationship between dissociation and type of substance used is not clear, there is an association between dissociation and the history of suicide attempt. C and SC users are also concerned with dissociative symptoms that should be considered by the clinician since it affects the treatment modality and treatment response.