0896 Cannabis and Alcohol Use Predicts Insomnia Symptoms and Sleep Locus of Control in College Students

Abstract Introduction For college students, getting sufficient, good quality sleep is important to mental health and academic success, yet few college students get the recommended 8 hours of sleep. Research shows students frequently self-medicate for sleep with alcohol, cannabis, or over-the-counter sleep aids. Previous research has reported substance use and sleep problems among college students separately, but little is known about whether self-medicating for sleep aligns with perceived control. This study examined whether: 1) substance use relates to insomnia symptom severity, daytime sleepiness, and sleep locus of control, and 2) students using substances for sleep report worse sleep outcomes. Methods Undergraduate students from the United States (N=185, ages 18-35, M=21.32) were recruited through convenience sampling and Prolific to complete an online, cross-sectional survey. Participants completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Sleep Locus of Control scale (SLOC), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), a modified Drug Use Motives questionnaire, and questions pertaining to substance use. One-way ANOVAs compared sleep outcomes across non-users, sleep-motivated users, and non-sleep-motivated users. Tukey HSD post-hoc tested for significant effects. Results Sleep-motivated cannabis users (n=32) had higher ISI scores (M=12.2) than non-sleep motivated users (n=19, M=5.37, p<.001) and non-users (n=134, M=8.34, p=.001), and lower SLOC scores (M=27.7) than non-users (M=31.4, p=.006). Sleep-motivated alcohol users (n=18) showed higher ISI scores (M=13.2) than non-sleep motivated users (n=102, M=7.40, p<.001) and non-users (n=65, M=9.52, p=.038), and lower SLOC scores (M=27.1) than non-users (M=31.6, p=.018). In contrast to ISI and SLOC, daytime sleepiness (ESS) did not differ significantly across cannabis or alcohol user groups. Conclusion Students who use cannabis and alcohol specifically for sleep reported significantly worse insomnia symptoms and lower perceived control over sleep as compared to both non-users and users who reported other motivations (ex: enhancement or coping) for use. Since college is a vulnerable period for the onset of mental disorders, substance use disorders, and sleep problems, patterns established during this critical period could have a lasting impact throughout adulthood. Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate how these relationships unfold over time. Support (if any) University of St. Thomas Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Young Scholars Grant