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Evaluating the effect of psychological stress on consumption of addictive goods: evidence from the United States
Objectives: We investigate the effect of psychological stress on alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and
marijuana consumption for men and women in the United States.
Methods: The database is the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, NSDUH, for 2020-2022. The sample consists of 138492 respondents aged 18–70. We estimate a multivariate ordered probit model to account for endogeneity of psychological stress and to correct for sample selection bias.
Results: Marijuana use increases by 20 percentage points among men and 35 percentage points among women under high levels of stress compared to baseline probabilities. E-cigarette use increases by 15 and 20 percentage points for men and women, respectively. Individuals’ propensity for addictive behavior varies depending on income, employment status, educational level, marital status, race/ethnicity, and community size. The probability of marijuana
and e-cigarette use under severe stress for women is more than three times higher compared to the baseline level and exceeds the corresponding probability for men.
Conclusions: The article presents quantitative estimates of the effect of stress on addictive goods consumption. Psychological stress is a significant predictor of engagement in psychoactive substance use and the development of addictions.