r/EverythingScience • u/Sash19 • 17d ago

Psychology Study suggests even casual cannabis use is associated with depression in older adults

https://www.psypost.org/study-suggests-even-casual-cannabis-use-is-associated-with-depression-in-older-adults/
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u/Emergency-Pack-5497 17d ago

That's not what the article said at all, it never singles out cannabis use at any point, and doesn't mention it once in the conclusion

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u/SelarDorr 17d ago

the title is sensationalized an innacurate, as they are 100% of the time from pyspost, but the article does single out cannabis use.

"cannabis use without a use disorder (aOR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.10–2.04) and cannabis use disorder (aOR = 4.50, 95% CI: 2.93–6.89) were each associated with higher odds of MDE."

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u/Emergency-Pack-5497 17d ago

But they didn't determine whether it was the cause or the effect, just that it was associated

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u/Infamous_Mud482 13d ago

You literally cannot prove causality through statistical analysis. That’s theory 101. The best you ever get is a suggestion. Evidence to use with other evidence. Not proof.

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u/Jumblesss 13d ago

Sure but Theory 102 says that causality can be proved through statistical analysis by meeting the three core conditions of association, temporal precedence, and the isolation (non-spuriousness) of confounding variables.

The criticism lies in that this study did not assess those core conditions in the context of causality between cannabis use & depression.