A brief cannabis-associated problems questionnaire with less potential for bias.

Abstract

Existing measures of problems associated with cannabis use may contain gender-biased items. The Cannabis-Associated Problems Questionnaire (CAPQ), a measure of occupational, social, and psychological problems related to cannabis use, contains items that men and women may endorse differentially. Gender discrepancies in CAPQ scores may indicate true differences in overall problem severity but could also signify the presence of biased items. Additionally, a short form could improve the measure's utility. Examination of responses from a large internet sample of current cannabis users revealed five items that functioned differentially for men and women, suggesting a potential for bias. Omitting these items resulted in a shorter scale with nearly identical psychometric properties. Correlations with cannabis use indices were comparable to those of the full scale, and the effect size for the difference between men's and women's responses did not change significantly. Thus, a short form of the CAPQ could benefit cannabis research.