Gender Differences in the Relationships Among Young Adults' Religiosity, Risk Perception, and Marijuana Use: A Moderated Mediation Model

Background and Purpose: Studies show that religiosity is a protective factor against marijuana use. Given most religions’ teachings to promote risk perception of substance use, risk perception possibly mediates the relationship between religiosity and marijuana use. Moreover, since males and females differ in religiosity, risk perception, and marijuana use, gender may moderate religiosity’s indirect effect on marijuana use through risk perception as well as religiosity’s direct effect on marijuana use. There is substantial research on religiosity and adolescent marijuana use, while little research has targeted the young adult population.

This study aims to investigate the conditional nature of the mechanisms underlying the effect of religiosity on marijuana use among the young adult population aged 18-25 years in the United States. Two primary hypotheses guided the analyses: the indirect effects of religiosity on marijuana use by way of risk perception differ for female and male young adults (hypothesis 1); and the indirect effect of religiosity on marijuana use through risk perception is larger for females (hypothesis 2). Two secondary hypotheses: the direct effects of religiosity on marijuana use differ for female and male young adults (hypothesis 3); and the direct effect of religiosity on marijuana use is larger for females (hypothesis 4).

Methods: Using a nationally representative sample from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N=12,646), conditional process analysis was examined through significant test of the index of moderated mediation. Additionally, mediation analysis was conducted in the male group (n=6042) and female group (n=6604) separately to further characterize the nature of the relationships.

Results: Hypothesis 1 was supported, as the interval estimate of the index of mediated moderation excluded 0 (index=.047, CI_.95=.039, .054). Hypothesis 3 and 4 were not supported, as the interaction term of religiosity and gender was not found significantly different from 0 (B=-.017, p=.130). Hypothesis 2 was supported, as the indirect effect of religiosity on marijuana use by way of risk perception was significant among both females (indirect effect=-.050, CI_.95=-.055, -.044) and males (indirect effect=-.046, CI_.95=-.053, -.039) and the indirect effect was larger for females than males.

Conclusions and Implications: Religiosity’s indirect effect on marijuana use through risk perception was found to be significantly different between males and females, while there were no gender differences in religiosity’s direct effect on marijuana use. The indirect effect of religiosity on marijuana use via risk perception was significant among both males and females and the indirect effect was larger for females than males. Religiously based/sensitive interventions that aim to prevent marijuana use among young adults should highlight factors related to risk perception, especially for females. For male young adults, other factors should also be emphasized as well as those related to risk perception. Future research should investigate gender differences in other pathways through which religiosity influences the use of marijuana and/or other substances among young adults. Future research should also test whether there are racial differences in religiosity’s effect on marijuana use through risk perception.