Demographics and Reported Symptoms Associated With Marijuana Use Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Purpose Marijuana use has been increasing in the adolescent population. Our objective was to examine the prevalence of marijuana use among a sample of adolescents and young adults, determine an association with risk-taking behaviors, identify reported medical symptoms, and delineate common beliefs about marijuana use. Methods A questionnaire was administered to a sample of patients aged between 12 and 23 years old presenting to the emergency department of Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania. Data were stratified by marijuana users and non-users, and further stratified by traditional (vape, pipe, edibles) and non-traditional (oils/concentrates, topical creams) use. Results The analysis was based on 200 questionnaires. Thirty-nine percent (n=78) reported marijuana use. Marijuana users were more likely to report previous sexual intercourse (79.5% vs. 32.8%; p=<0.0001), as well as the use of alcohol (50.0% vs. 10.7%; p=<0.0001), cigarettes (41% vs. 8.2%; p=<0.0001), prescription pain medications (20.5% vs. 4.1%; p=0.002), and cocaine (14.1% vs. 0.8%; p=0.0017). Users more likely reported texting while driving (41.0% vs. 13.1%; p=0.005) and experienced physical or electronic victimization due to bullying (43.6% vs. 19.7%; p=0.002). Users were more likely to report gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), anxiety, and depression. The most common symptoms associated with marijuana use were anxiety (65.4%), headache (61.6%), nausea/vomiting (53.8%), cough (51.3%), and abdominal pain (47.4%). Sixty-nine percent of respondents believed marijuana was "safer than other drugs". Conclusion Based on our sample, we identified risk-taking behaviors, medical symptoms, and beliefs associated with marijuana use. Healthcare professionals may use these data to provide screening and anticipatory guidance to adolescents who use marijuana and consider marijuana use in their differential diagnosis.

Tick-Borne-Associated Illnesses in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

When unrecognized and antibiotic delay occurs, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain–spotted fever, babesiosis, and human ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis can result in multiorgan system dysfunction and potentially death. This review focuses on the early recognition, evaluation, and stabilization of the rare life-threatening sequelae seen in tick-borne illnesses that require admission in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Themes Depicted in Top-grossing Rated-R Films Released from 2012 to 2017

Introduction: Films continue to be a popular form of entertainment amongst children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine the most common themes depicted in a select number of rated-R films released 2012-2017.

Methods: A total of 25 films were independently viewed and analyzed by five reviewers.

Results: The most common positive themes were “encouragement”, “helping others”, “teamwork”, “compassion”, and “honesty” (2.3, 1.7, 1.7, 1.6, 1.4 mean events per hour, respectively). The most common negative themes were “use of inappropriate language”, “use of a lethal weapon”, “physical fighting”, “dishonesty”, and “demonstrating excessive anger” (8.9, 4.4, 3.4, 2.3, 2.2 mean events per hour, respectively).

Conclusion: The most common positive themes in our sample were associated with service, collaboration, and honesty/humility, and the most common negative themes were associated with violence. We encourage co-viewing and active mediation, focusing on the themes found in films, as a method to guide children through their development process.