Curious to learn more about Dr. Thompson's specific interests and contributions? In this post we break down some past and current experiences that have shaped Dr. Thompson's contributions and continue to spark interest for future opportunities.
Expertise on cannabis use in young adulthood. Much of Dr. Thompson's research is focused on understanding the antecedents and consequences of cannabis use patterns in young adulthood. In a series of 4 peer-reviewed manuscripts a team of experts examined variability in patterns of cannabis use from age 15-28 and the impact of use patterns on physical health, mental health, substance use, and educational and occupational success in young adulthood. This work attracted significant media attention with over 20 interviews from coast to coast. Dr. Thompson's expertise on cannabis use in this population allows her to take an active role in carrying out the proposed study.
Thompson, K., Leadbeater, B., Ames, M., & Merrin, G. J. (2018). Associations between marijuana use trajectories and educational and occupational success in young adulthood. Prevention science, 1-13.
Thompson, K., Merrin, G.J., Ames, M., & Leadbeater, B. (2018). Trajectories of Marijuana Use in Canadian Youth from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: Associations with Substance Use and Mental Health. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 50(1), 17-28.
Sukhawathanakul, P., Thompson, K., Brubacher, J., & Leadbeater, B. (2019). Marijuana Trajectories and Associations with Driving Risk Behaviors in Canadian Youth. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 1-6.
Ames, M. E., Leadbeater, B. J., Merrin, G. J., & Thompson, K. (2020). Patterns of marijuana use and physical health indicators
Expertise in EMA and longitudinal research designs. Trained as a developmental researcher, Dr. Thompson has conducted several longitudinal studies examining changes in substance use and mental health across adolescence and young adulthood. She also recently completed an EMA study investigating the association between modes of cannabis use and physical and cognitive effects in a sample of cannabis-using young adults. Her expertise in these methods is directly applicable to the proposed study.
Swan, C., Ferro, M. A., & Thompson, K. (2020). Does how you use matter? The link between mode of use and cannabis-related risk. Addictive Behaviors, 112, 106620
Research on coping-motivated substance use. One focus of her work has been to investigate how coping-motived substance use predicts substance use behavior and associated risks. This work contributes directly to understanding the theoretical mechanisms proposed in the current study.
Joyce, K. M., Thompson, K., Tibbo, P. G., Good, K. P., O’Leary, M. E., Perrot, T. S., Hudson, A., & Stewart, S. H. (2021). The impact of depressed mood and coping motives in those with pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder on cannabis use quantity across the menstrual cycle. Addiction, 116. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15465
Substance use policy. Policies play important role in reducing substance-related harm. For over a decade Dr. Thompson has served as a part of the CAPE (Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation) project, a national team of alcohol policy experts that conducted rigorous assessments of the implementation of evidence-based alcohol policies in 13 jurisdictions in Canada. The third iteration of the CAPE project is currently underway. Dr. Thompson is also the principal investigator on a Research Nova Scotia New Investigator Award that aims to evaluate campus alcohol policies across 12 Atlantic Canadian Universities using the most up-to-date evidence on best practice alcohol policies in post-secondary settings. Her expertise in this area will assist in knowledge translation activities as we consider the implications of our findings for cannabis policy.
Vallance, K., Stockwell, T., Wettlaufer, A., Clifton, C., Giesbrecht, N., April, N., Asbridge, M., Callaghan, R., Cukier, S., Hynes, G., Mann, R., Solomon, R., Thomas, G., & Thompson, K. (2021). The Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation project: Findings from a review of provincial and territorial alcohol policies. Drug and Alcohol Review. DOI: 10.1111/dar.13251
