Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/91210918365
Sebastian Kristal
My name is Sebastian Kristal, and I am from Glen Ridge, New Jersey. Here at Wesleyan, I am a Sophomore studying Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with the aim to enter medical school in the near future. I am also a member of the Wesleyan University Varsity Wrestling Team.
Abstract: Using nationally representative data from the NESARC study, this project examined the relationship between lifetime cannabis use and psychosis-related disorders, including schizophrenia, schizoid personality disorder, and manic disorder. Psychotic symptoms were summed into a composite score ranging from zero to three, and bivariate chi-square tests and multivariate linear models were used to evaluate group differences. Cannabis users showed slightly higher psychotic symptom counts than non-users, and regression analyses indicated that these differences remained statistically significant after controlling for age, though effect sizes were modest. Age was negatively associated with symptom scores overall, yet symptom spikes among older cannabis users suggest that psychosis vulnerability may not decline uniformly across the lifespan. These results indicate a small but meaningful association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms, emphasizing the need for longitudinal studies to determine whether cannabis contributes to risk or reflects underlying predisposition.
PosterProjectQAC