Cannabis use within broader mental health strategies: insights from sexual and gender diverse youth.
4 affiliations
- 1École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, 7101 Av du Parc, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- 2Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique, Université de Montréal et Santé Québec Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal - Universitaire, 7101 Av du Parc, Montréal, Canada.
- 3École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, 7101 Av du Parc, Montréal, QC, Canada. [email protected].
- 4Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique, Université de Montréal et Santé Québec Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal - Universitaire, 7101 Av du Parc, Montréal, Canada. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Mental health and cannabis-related inequities persist between sexual and gender diverse (SGD) youth and their non-SGD counterparts. SGD youth are at heightened risk of cannabis-related harms, which may further exacerbate existing mental health inequities. To date, research has largely adopted a deficit-based perspective, emphasizing risks and vulnerabilities. Yet, these perspectives do not capture the full range of SGD youth mental health and their experiences with cannabis use. Little is known about the efforts of SGD youth to improve or maintain a positive mental health. The present qualitative descriptive study explored the strategies that SGD youth who use cannabis undertake to promote their mental health and examined how cannabis features within these efforts.Methods
A peer researcher conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 15 SGD youth who used cannabis and self-reported mental health issues. Data underwent collaborative inductive thematic analysis.Results
Participants promoted their mental health by (1) seeking a safe space to foster introspection and confront emotions; (2) constructing identities and accepting one's authentic self; and (3) managing stress and cultivating positive experiences. To achieve these goals, participants engaged, in addition to cannabis use, with interpersonal relationships, support systems, and physical and mental breaks. Participants also identified negative experiences with cannabis, including over-reliance, decreased focus, fuzzy thinking, and anxiety, pointing to therapeutic relationships, social support, and other mechanisms as longer-term pathways to mental well-being.Conclusions
SGD youth who use cannabis do not rely solely on cannabis to manage their mental health. Rather, cannabis is integrated into a broader array of strategies aimed at achieving mental health goals. This study provides a valuable perspective on the mental health of SGD youth from a positive, strengths-based perspective. Our findings reflect the complexity of cannabis use in this population; although cannabis use may be used to cope with mental health struggles, it may simultaneously coexist with broader health-promoting strategies. This complexity underscores the need for nuanced, non-stigmatizing approaches to cannabis use in this population. These findings have the potential to inform SGD-tailored harm reduction initiatives and mental health interventions that recognize the multifaceted role cannabis can play in SGD youth's lives.
Related
- Associations Between Social Contexts of Alcohol and Cannabis Use and Perceived Descriptive Norms in Sexual Minority Women and Gender Diverse Individuals Assigned Female at Birth
- Prevailing income-based disparities in cardiovascular events in young hospitalized adults with cannabis use disorder: insights from a population-based analysis
- Caregiving in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: Insights from Diverse Family Structures
- The optimized PBAE-loaded pro-neurogenic IFs nanoparticles reprogram astrocytes within the glial scar into diverse neuronal subtypes
- Communication Strategies Within the Mental Health Context—The Evidence for Nurses, Midwives, and Social Workers. A Rapid Review
BibTeX
@article{ortizparedes2026cannabis,
title = {{Cannabis use within broader mental health strategies: insights from sexual and gender diverse youth.}},
author = {David Ortiz-Paredes and Elen Cindy Lufuluabo-Mukundi and Arlette Ibrahim and Kinda Wassef and Rod Knight and Olivier Ferlatte},
journal = {BMC public health},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12889-026-28940-7},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42972529},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Cannabis use within broader mental health strategies: insights from sexual and gender diverse youth.
AU - David Ortiz-Paredes
AU - Elen Cindy Lufuluabo-Mukundi
AU - Arlette Ibrahim
AU - Kinda Wassef
AU - Rod Knight
AU - Olivier Ferlatte
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/06
JO - BMC public health
DO - 10.1186/s12889-026-28940-7
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42972529
AB - Background Mental health and cannabis-related inequities persist between sexual and gender diverse (SGD) youth and their non-SGD counterparts. SGD youth are at heightened risk of cannabis-related harms, which may further exacerbate existing mental health inequities. To date, research has largely adopted a deficit-based perspective, emphasizing risks and vulnerabilities. Yet, these perspectives do not capture the full range of SGD youth mental health and their experiences with cannabis use. Little is known about the efforts of SGD youth to improve or maintain a positive mental health. The present qualitative descriptive study explored the strategies that SGD youth who use cannabis undertake to promote their mental health and examined how cannabis features within these efforts.Methods A peer researcher conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 15 SGD youth who used cannabis and self-reported mental health issues. Data underwent collaborative inductive thematic analysis.Results Participants promoted their mental health by (1) seeking a safe space to foster introspection and confront emotions; (2) constructing identities and accepting one's authentic self; and (3) managing stress and cultivating positive experiences. To achieve these goals, participants engaged, in addition to cannabis use, with interpersonal relationships, support systems, and physical and mental breaks. Participants also identified negative experiences with cannabis, including over-reliance, decreased focus, fuzzy thinking, and anxiety, pointing to therapeutic relationships, social support, and other mechanisms as longer-term pathways to mental well-being.Conclusions SGD youth who use cannabis do not rely solely on cannabis to manage their mental health. Rather, cannabis is integrated into a broader array of strategies aimed at achieving mental health goals. This study provides a valuable perspective on the mental health of SGD youth from a positive, strengths-based perspective. Our findings reflect the complexity of cannabis use in this population; although cannabis use may be used to cope with mental health struggles, it may simultaneously coexist with broader health-promoting strategies. This complexity underscores the need for nuanced, non-stigmatizing approaches to cannabis use in this population. These findings have the potential to inform SGD-tailored harm reduction initiatives and mental health interventions that recognize the multifaceted role cannabis can play in SGD youth's lives.
SN - 1471-2458
ER -