PECan

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  EXPLORATION OF PSYCHOSIS EXPERIENCES AND CANNABIS USE (PECan) IN YOUNG PEOPLE

• IRAS ID

  282576

• Contact name

  Mike Jackson

• Contact email

  mike.jackson@bangor.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Bangor University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 3 months, 3 days

• Research summary

  Summary of Research

  Based on current research and published treatment recommendations, there has been an emphasis on cannabis reduction or elimination in services working with individuals with psychosis. However, there is also conflicting evidence suggesting that some people who experience psychosis find cannabis helpful in coping with symptoms. It is likely that these conflicting perspectives may increase perceived coercion which could impact on therapeutic alliance and engagement with services. Emerging evidence also suggests that earlier cannabis use may increase the risk of developing psychosis and increase risk of relapse. Therefore, it is important to explore the lived experience of young people using cannabis to understand its function and inform treatment approaches that can take account of service users’ subjective experiences and enhance early help-seeking for psychosis and treatment collaboration.
  This research will aim to explore the lived experience of cannabis use in young people with psychosis and their experiences of receiving advice or intervention from professionals regarding their personal use. This will be explored using a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions relating to the research questions. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) will be implemented to explore how participants make sense of their experiences.
  Eligible participants will be aged between 16 to 35, will be receiving treatment for psychosis and are regular users of cannabis. Participants will only be eligible if they have capacity to consent at the time of the study. Participants will be recruited from the early intervention psychosis service (EIPS) in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and through collaborating recovery clinicians from Hafal. Interviews will take place at EIPS premises or remotely, if COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Participants will only be required to attend one session, which will involve the informed consent process, brief screening assessments (approximately 1 hour) and an interview (approximately 1 hour).

  Summary of Results

  Six participants were interviewed and transcripts were analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), an established methodology in clinical, health, and social psychology, which provides a stance and procedure for the analysis of experiential qualitative data (Smith et al., 2009). All participants were male, aged between 19 to 31 years old and identified as White British. All were involved in the first episode psychosis (FEP) arm of an Early Interventions in Psychosis service and had been regular users of cannabis over a period of at least two years.

  Three interrelated superordinate themes emerged from the analysis, with an overarching theme of empowerment versus disempowerment. The superordinate themes and subthemes are detailed below.

  1."it's something I sort of live by": Identity as a cannabis user
  1.1 Self identity as a stoner or smoker
  1.2 Shared identity
  1.3 Perceived social stereotyping

  2."two different sides to it": Impact on psychosis and wellbeing
  2.1 Cannabis use journey: towards finding the sweet spot versus feeling controlled
  2.2 The role of cannabis in the development of psychosis: a piece of a complex puzzle
  2.3 A double-edged sword: cannabis effects mediated by context and mood state.
  2.4 The role of cannabis in moving towards recovery

  3."people who make me feel human": experiences of services and support
  3.1 Unhelpful experiences as dehumanising and reductionistic
  3.2 Understanding the history and wider context as validating
  3.3 Helpful and non-judgemental support as aiding in sense-making and coping
  3.4 Primacy of lived experience over medical expertise
  3.5 Perceived stigma in services as harmful

  These themes emphasise the importance of an accepting, individual approach, which may at times appear to contradict the evidence that cannabis is harmful for individuals experiencing psychosis.

• REC name

  West of Scotland REC 3

• REC reference

  20/WS/0101

• Date of REC Opinion

  3 Sep 2020

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion