Fear of COVID-19 and illicit drug use during COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: a case-control study
We found that fear of COVID-19 was a contributing factor to illicit drug use. Although the exact mechanism through which fear influences illicit drug use remains unknown, previous studies have shown that fear of certain targets increases illicit drug use, and our study adds to this evidence. However, in this study, we were unable to show a statistically significant causal relationship between fear of COVID-19 and the use of cannabis alone. Further research on the relationship between fear and the use of cannabis or other drugs, for varying focuses of fear, may broaden our knowledge of the different reasons individuals have for using different drugs.
Authors
- Yasuhiro Kakiuchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3078-2897)
- Katsuya Nitta
- Takahiro Tabuchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1050-3125)
- Haruaki Naito
Institutions
- Tokai University (JP)
- Osaka International Cancer Institute (JP)
- Kindai University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PeerJ
- Published
- 2024-09-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18137
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.64
Funders
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
- Chiba Foundation for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
- University of Tsukuba
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society