Motivational Factors and Cannabis Use Intention among Juvenile Offenders: Direct, Mediating, and Moderating Effects

The Eu opean Jou nal o Psychology
Applied o Legal Con ex
The Eu opean Jou nal o Psychology Applied o Legal Con ex (2025) 17(1) 39-47
ISSN: 1889-1861/© 2025 Colegio O icial de la Psicología de Mad id. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY-NC-ND license (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
h ps://jou nals.copmad id.o g/ejpalc
ARTICLE INFO
A icle his o y:
Recei ed 11 July 2023
Accep ed 8 Decembe 2024
Keywo ds:
Risk pe cep ions
Ou come expec ancies
Ac ion sel -e icacy
Use Cannabis
Heal h Ac ion P ocess App oach
(HAPA)
Ju enile o ende s
ABSTRACT
Backg ound/Aim:
Ensu ing ha ju enile o ende s (JOs) who s op consume cannabis du ing hei de en ion emain abs inence
a e hei sen ence has been se ed is a undamen al p e en i e measu e. The p esen s udy explo es whe he he a iables o
he mo i a ional phase o he Heal h Ac ion P ocess App oach (HAPA) p edic ed he in en ion no o use cannabis a e he end
o he de en ion pe iod among JOs. I also analyzes he media ing e ec o pas beha io and he mode a ing e ec o gende .
Me hod:
A c oss-sec ional s udy was conduc ed wi h 103 JOs in de en ion cen e s in sou he n Spain (mean age =16.33 yea s,
70.6% male).
Resul s:
A mul iple linea eg ession analysis con i med he join e ec o mo i a ional a iables ( isk pe cep ions,
posi i e and nega i e ou come expec ancies, and ac ion sel -e icacy) on in en ion. Excep o posi i e ou come expec ancies,
all mo i a ional a iables we e ound o media e he e ec o age a onse on in en ion. Mode a ion analysis e ealed ha
when isk pe cep ions and ac ion sel -e icacy we e high, emale JOs exp essed a s onge in en ion no o use cannabis han
hei male coun e pa s.
Conclusions:
The esul s con i m he e ec i eness o he HAPA o p edic ing he in en ion no o use
cannabis among JOs a e he end o hei de en ion pe iod. The p esen s udy lays he g oundwo k o u u e esea ch, which
should b oaden he analysis o include he oli ional s age o change and JOs se ing o he sen ences in ol ing less supe ision
and g ea e oppo uni ies o use. The esul s p esen ed he e will help in o m he design o p e en i e p og ams, wi h a gende
pe spec i e.
Fac o es mo i acionales e in ención de consumi cannabis en los delincuen es
ju eniles: e ec os di ec os, de mediación y mode ación
RESUMEN
An eceden es/Obje i o:
Ga an iza que los meno es in ac o es (MI) que dejan de consumi cannabis du an e su de ención
man engan la abs inencia una ez cumplida su sen encia es una medida p e en i a undamen al. Es e es udio explo a si las
a iables de la ase mo i acional del Modelo del P oceso de Acción en Salud p edicen la in ención de no consumi cannabis
una ez inalizado el pe íodo de in e namien o en e los MI. Además, se analizó el e ec o mediado del compo amien o
pasado y el e ec o mode ado del géne o.
Mé odo:
Se ealizó un es udio ans e sal con 103 MI de cen os de in e namien o
del su de España (edad media = 16.33 años, 70.6% homb es).
Resul ados:
Un análisis de eg esión lineal múl iple con i mó
el e ec o conjun o de las a iables mo i acionales (pe cepciones de iesgo, expec a i as de esul ados posi i os y nega i os, y
au oe icacia en la acción) sob e la in ención. Con excepción de las expec a i as de esul ados posi i as, se encon ó que odas
las a iables mo i acionales mediaban el e ec o de la edad de inicio sob e la in ención. El análisis de mode ación e eló que
cuando las pe cepciones de iesgo y la au oe icacia en la acción e an al as, las MI muje es exp esaban una in ención de no
consumi cannabis más ue e que sus con apa es homb es.
Conclusiones:
Los esul ados con i man la e ec i idad del EPAS
pa a p edeci la in ención de no consumi cannabis en e los MI después de que inalice su pe íodo de in e namien o. El p e-
sen e es udio es ablece las bases pa a u u as in es igaciones, que debe ían amplia el análisis pa a inclui la e apa oli i a
del cambio y a los MI que cumplen o as penas con menos supe isión y mayo es opo unidades de consumo. Los esul ados
aquí p esen ados con ibui án al diseño de p og amas p e en i os con pe spec i a de géne o.
Palab as cla e:
Pe cepciones de iesgo
Expec a i as de esul ado
Au oe icacia pa a la acción
Consumo de Cannabis
Modelo del P oceso de Acción
en Salud
Meno es de e o ma
Mo i a ional Fac o s and Cannabis Use In en ion among Ju enile O ende s: Di ec ,
Media ing, and Mode a ing E ec s
Isabel M. He e a-Sánchez, Sil ia Medina-Anzano, and Samuel Rueda-Méndez
Uni e sidad de Se illa, Spain
Ci e his a icle as: He e a-Sánchez, I. M., Medina-Anzano, S., & Rueda-Méndez, S. (2025). Mo i a ional ac o s and cannabis use in en ion among ju enile o ende s: Di ec ,
media ing, and mode a ing e ec s.
Eu opean Jou nal o Psychology Applied o Legal Con ex , 17
(1), 39-47. h ps://doi.o g/10.5093/ejpalc2025a4
Funding: This s udy has been suppo ed by he Spanish Go e nmen Delega ion o he Na ional Plan on D ugs, p ojec numbe : 2018I006.
Co espondence: sil[email p o ec ed] (S. Medina-Anzano).
Cannabis is he illegal psychoac i e subs ance mos equen ly
consumed by adolescen s in Spain oday (Obse a o io Español de
las D ogas y las Adicciones, 2022). This aises signi ican conce ns
abou he heal h o hese young indi iduals, pa icula ly ju enile
o ende s (JOs) and hose in ol ed in legal con lic s. Cannabis is also
one o he mos equen ly used illici subs ances among his speci ic
popula ion (Buil-Legaz e al., 2019; Con e as e al., 2012), whe e i
poses mo e p oblema ic issues han among young people who do no
40
I. M. He e a-Sánchez e al. / The Eu opean Jou nal o Psychology Applied o Legal Con ex (2025) 17(1) 39-47
ha e a con lic o law, since i ends o be ini ia ed a an ea lie age
and poses g ea e isks. Consequen ly, his inc eases he likelihood o
de eloping subs ance use diso de s (Duke e al., 2020; Olagunju e al.,
2021; Ribas-Siñol e al., 2015; Tolou-Shams e al., 2021).
In his con ex , an associa ion has been obse ed be ween
subs ance use and delinquen beha io (Chassin e al., 2016; Sales e
al., 2018). Howe e , i is essen ial o emphasize no only he sea ch
o causal associa ions bu also he coexis ence o hese wo a iables
and he ecip ocal ela ionship ha is o en es ablished be ween
hem. Bo h beha io s sha e common isk ac o s, such as a his o y o
pa en al use and/o delinquen beha io , con ac wi h p oblema ic
pee s, impulsi i y and sensa ion seeking, as well as engagemen in
o he p oblema ic ex e nalizing beha io s (Chassin e al., 2016).
Youngs e s who commi an o ense and ha e subs ance use
p oblems usually ecei e sen ences ha a e adap ed o each indi idual
case. Depending on he se iousness o he o ense and associa ed d ug
p oblem, hese sen ences may be as ollows: 1) he apeu ic de en ion
in a closed, semi-open, o open cen e , whe e specialized educa ion
and ea men a e p o ided o 2) ou pa ien ea men wi hou
de en ion, wi h youngs e s being ea ed in hei amily en i onmen ,
p o ided he si ua ion is no oo p oblema ic. These measu es aim o
os e posi i e change and p o ide JOs wi h he necessa y esou ces
o p e en elapse and a oid e u ning o subs ance use. In e en ions
ca ied ou in hese con ex s may include unc ional amily he apy,
mul isys emic he apy, and in ensi e p o ec i e supe ision (Dau ia
e al., 2018; G eenwood, 2008).
When JOs who use illegal subs ances a e se ing hei sen ence
in Ju enile De en ion Cen e s (JDCs), hey ind hemsel es in an
en i onmen ha o e s bo h oppo uni ies and challenges o
ha m ul d ug use. Al hough hese cen e s ha e he necessa y
esou ces and o e app op ia e ea men p og ams, hey s ill
ep esen a disciplina y measu e in which abs inence is imposed.
S udies examining he impac o hese supe ised en i onmen s
on sus ained abs inence among young people epo con adic o y
indings. Some s udies sugges ha JDCs may ac as isk ac o s ha
con ibu e o JOs’ ongoing subs ance use, ei he due o con ac wi h
o he JOs wi h mo e se ious p oblems o due o limi ed oppo uni ies
o eco e y and ein eg a ion (Felds ein e al., 2014). O he s,
howe e , p opose ha being in a JDC educes oppo uni ies o
subs ance use han hey would o he wise ha e (Mau icio e al., 2009).
The s uc u ed en i onmen and o mal supe ision p o ided wi hin
he cen e can suppo qui ing e o s (Felds ein e al., 2014). These
con adic o y esul s make di icul o de e mine wi h any deg ee o
cla i y how de en ion a ec s he use subs ance beha io o hese JOs.
The e o e, i is c ucial o add ess he issue o subs ance use among
JOs ecei ing ea men in JDCs, as i is impo an o ensu e ha hey
con inue no o use e en a e hei elease. This equi es a mo e in-
dep h explo a ion o he dynamics ha in luences beha io al change
o enable mo e e ec i e in e en ions ha help p e en a e u n o
subs ance use among his popula ion. In his unde aking, special
a en ion should be paid o cannabis, as i is he mos used subs ance
among JOs.
Changes in heal h beha io in ol e a se ies o mo i a ional,
cogni i e, and ac ion p ocesses ha can lead o he adop ion o
heal hy habi s o qui ing hose ha a e ha m ul o one’s heal h.
P e ious s udies ha e aimed o iden i y he ac o s ha p edic o
explain hese beha io changes. Theo ies based on social cogni i e
models ha e analyzed he mo i a ional p ocesses ha con ibu e
o he in en ion o change, which is conside ed he mos p oximal
p ecu so o beha io . These models also iden i y he oli ional
p ocesses in ol ed in ini ia ion and egula ion ac ions (León &
Medina, 2002). These models ha e been shown o explain beha io al
change p ocesses among indi iduals who engage in ha m ul o
abusi e cannabis use (Medina-Anzano e al., 2021). One such
model is he Heal h Ac ion P ocess App oach (HAPA), de eloped
by Schwa ze (1992, 2008) and Schwa ze and Fuchs (1995), which
aims o o e come he sho comings o p e ious models ha ocused
mo e on mo i a ional p ocesses a he han on oli ional p ocesses
(Schwa ze & Luszczynska, 2008).
Acco ding o HAPA, he p ocess o qui ing ha m ul cannabis
use in ol es wo s ages: mo i a ional and oli ional. Du ing he
mo i a ional s age, isk pe cep ions mus be gene a ed ha inc ease
an indi idual’s pe cei ed ulne abili y o he heal h p oblems
associa ed wi h con inued cannabis use and he se ious consequences
ha ongoing ha m ul use may en ail. I is also c ucial o de elop
expec a ions ega ding ou comes ha help he indi idual iew
qui ing cannabis use as being linked o mo e posi i e han nega i e
consequences. S eng hening hei belie s in hei own abili y o s op
using in a ha m ul way is also impo an . This i s phase o HAPA
holds ha isk pe cep ions, ou come expec ancies, and ac ion sel -
e icacy con ibu e o os e ing he in en ion o change one’s beha io .
Howe e , i is impo an o b idge he gap ha exis s be ween
gene a ing an in en ion o change and aking ac ual s eps owa ds
ini ia ing and main aining heal hy beha io . Acco ding o HAPA, he
indi idual en e s he oli ional s age he momen hey begin planning
when and how o ini ia e beha io change, how o a oid si ua ions
ha pose a high isk o elapse, and how o exe cise he necessa y
con ol o ensu e he con inua ion o he new beha io . The p ocesses
in ol ed in his phase include ac ion planning, main enance sel -
e icacy, and eco e y sel -e icacy.
The HAPA has been es ed in a a ie y o di e en heal h
beha io s, consis en ly suppo ing i s heo e ical assump ions.
P e ious esea ch has p ima ily ocused on p edic ing p e en i e
beha io s o heal h imp o emen , such as engaging in physical
exe cise (Schwa ze e al., 2007; Snieho a e al., 2005), egula b eas
sel -examina ion (Luszczynska & Schwa ze , 2003), and p e en i e
nu i ion (Schwa ze & Renne , 2000). O he s udies ha e explo ed
heal h-comp omising beha io s, such as smoking (Be li e al., 2015;
Schwa ze & Luszczynska, 2008; Williams e al., 2011), low- isk,
single-occasion d inking (Mu g a e al., 2003), and d ink d i ing
(Wilson e al., 2016). Mos o hese s udies ha e been conduc ed wi h
nonclinical popula ions, al hough some ha e included o e weigh
pa ien s and hose wi h ch onic diseases (Schwa ze & Luszczynska,
2008), as well as indi iduals wi h mul iple scle osis (Chiu e al., 2011).
Zhang e al. (2019) ca ied ou a me a-analysis o p e ious
esea ch aimed a es ing he p edic ions made by he model and
explo ing bias in he a iabili y o he e ec s obse ed be ween
he HAPA cons uc s. The esul s poin ed o small- o-medium
e ec sizes o mos cons uc s, excep o isk pe cep ions and
eco e y sel -e icacy, which showed only small e ec sizes. Ac ion
sel -e icacy demons a ed he s onges e ec s on heal h beha io
h ough in en ions and main enance sel -e icacy. The au ho s also
ound ha he e ec s o hese componen s we e mode a ed by he
speci ic ype o a ge heal h beha io . Speci ically, he e ec s o
ac ion sel -e icacy on in en ions and beha io we e s onge o
beha io s ela ed o physical ac i i y, while oli ional sel -e icacy (a
cons uc ha encompasses main enance and eco e y sel -e icacy)
showed s onge e ec s o ea ing habi s. In his way, he HAPA
o e s a heo e ical amewo k suppo ed by empi ical e idence o
iden i ying he social cogni i e p edic o s o heal h beha io changes.
The me a-analysis also examined he mode a ing e ec o he
ype o sample used in each s udy, al hough no signi ican di e ences
we e ound in e ms o beha io p edic ion. In his sense, i is c ucial
o de e mine whe he he p edic ions o he HAPA can be ex ended
o a high- isk g oup such as JOs who ha e used cannabis be o e being
sen o a JDC and who a e expec ed o discon inue use and main ain
abs inence a e hei elease.
Consequen ly, he i s objec i e o he s udy was o analyze he
di ec ion and p edic i e powe o he cons uc s in he mo i a ional
phase o he HAPA o e he in en ion o JOs no o use cannabis
a e hei elease om a JDC. I is impo an o emphasize ha
he s udy popula ion consis ed o mino s who we e s ill se ing a
41
Cannabis Use In en ion among Ju enile O ende s
sen ence in a JDC, making i impossible o assess he oli ional s age.
This limi a ion a ises om he ac , a he ime o he s udy, none
o he pa icipan s had ye had he oppo uni y o engage in an
unsupe ised beha io .
The i s hypo hesis (
H
1) in he p esen s udy, acco ding o
he HAPA, s a es ha he a iables in he mo i a ional s age ( isk
pe cep ions, posi i e ou come expec a ions, nega i e ou come
expec a ions, and ac ion sel -e icacy) will explain he in en ion
o JOs no o use cannabis a e hei elease. P e ious esea ch,
as men ioned ea lie (Zhang e al., 2019), has ound a ela ionship
be ween hese ac o s and in en ions.
D awing om he indings o Zhang e al. (2019), he second
hypo hesis (
H
2) is o mula ed, sugges ing ha ac ion sel -e icacy
will ha e he s onges p edic i e powe o e in en ion. Se e al
di e en s udies ha e con i med ha his a iable is he mos eliable
p edic o o in en ions o change one’s beha io (Luszczynska &
Schwa ze , 2003; Mu g a e al., 2003).
Pas beha io has been ound o be a signi ican p edic o o u u e
beha io (Hagge e al., 2016). Indeed, Zhang e al. (2019) included
an analysis o pas beha io , which led o he au ho s highligh ing
he impo ance o examining he indi ec e ec s o his a iable
on subsequen beha io , h ough he di e en HAPA cons uc s.
P e ious s udies ha e p ima ily in es iga ed his media ing e ec in
he oli ional phase. Howe e , conside ing ha in en ion is he mos
immedia e an eceden o beha io (Mu g a e al., 2003; Schwa ze
& Luszczynska, 2008; Wilson e al., 2016), i is easonable o expec
a simila ela ionship in he mo i a ional phase. Thus, he hi d
hypo hesis (
H
3) posi s ha pas beha io will explain in en ion, and
he ou h hypo hesis (
H
4) holds ha he e ec o pas beha io on
in en ion will be media ed by he mo i a ional a iables. To examine
pas beha io , a iables such as p oblema ic use, age o onse , and
yea s o used we e included on exis ing e idence indica ing han JOs
s a using cannabis a a younge age and exhibi mo e p oblema ic
pa e ns o use (Duke e al., 2020; Olagunju e al., 2021; Ribas-Siñol
e al., 2015; Vega-Cauich e al., 2019).
Finally, he second objec i e in his s udy was o in es iga e
gende di e ences. Al hough gende di e ences in HAPA
componen s ha e been obse ed in p e ious s udies (Wilson e
al., 2016), no such analyses ha e been ca ied ou o da e in a - isk
popula ions. Howe e , subs ance use pa e ns and ajec o ies ha e
been shown o di e acco ding o gende (Chassin e al., 2016),
sugges ing he po en ial mode a ing e ec o gende . The e o e, ou
i h hypo hesis (
H
5) posi s ha gende will mode a e he e ec o
he HAPA mo i a ional a iables on JOs’ in en ion no o use cannabis
a e hei elease.
Me hod
Pa icipan s
The s udy in ol ed JOs who we e aking hei judicial measu es
in i e JDCs in sou he n Spain. These mino s we e ec ui ed be ween
Sep embe 2021 and June 2022. The ollowing inclusion c i e ia
we e conside ed o hei selec ion: a) being unde he age o 18
(14-18 yea s); b) ha ing consumed cannabis (ma ijuana o hashish)
be o e en e ing he JDC, ei he expe imen ally o abusi ely; c)
ha ing comple ed he obse a ion phase in he JDC, in acco dance
wi h Spanish legisla ion, he Dec e o 98/2015 [Dec ee 98/2015],
issued on Ma ch 3 d; d) being in any ype o egime (closed, semi-
open, o open), wi h p ecau iona y measu es o a inal sen ence; and
e) pa icipa ing olun a ily in he s udy. Exclusion c i e ia we e: a)
p esen ing a diagnosis o psychopa hological diso de ; b) ecei ing
ea men o subs ance abuse; c) exhibi ing dis up i e, an isocial o
de ian beha io s ha , in he opinion o he echnical eam in he
cen e , could hinde hei pa icipa ion in he s udy.
A o al o 103 JOs pa icipa ed, wi h a mean age o 16.33 yea s (
SD
=
.94), and 79.6% we e boys. The a e age age o cannabis ini ia ion was
12.25 yea s (
SD
= 1.92), and hey had been consuming i on a e age o
4.08 yea s (
SD
= 2.09). Rega ding he commi ed o ense, 32% o he
sample was in e ned o domes ic iolence- ela ed c imes and 25%
o c imes agains p ope y and socio-economic o de . Addi ionally,
nea ly a qua e o hem had commi ed mo e han one o ense. The
mean du a ion o he in e nmen measu es was 14.52 mon hs (
SD
=
7.96), and hey had spen an a e age o 5.98 mon hs (
SD
= 5.54) in he
JDC. The majo i y o JOs we e ei he s udying o had esumed hei
s udies in he cen e (90%), and p io o en e ing he cen e hey li ed
in a single-pa en amily (37.1%) o a nuclea amily (30.9%).
These pa icipan s did no ecei e any ype o ma e ial o o he
ewa ds.
Va iables and Measu emen Ins umen s
To es he hypo heses,
ad hoc
measu es we e de eloped o adap
hem o he cha ac e is ics o he popula ion and he objec i es
o he s udy, in addi ion o s anda dized ins umen s, wi h he
pe mission o hei au ho s. The a iables and hei measu emen
ins umen s we e as ollows:
Pas Beha io
In his s udy his a iable was measu ed h ough he ollowing
indi ec a iables.
Age o Onse . Pa icipan s we e asked abou he age a which hey
i s used cannabis (ma ijuana o hashish).
Yea s o Use. This alue was ob ained by calcula ing he di e ence
be ween he cu en age and he age o ini ia ion o cannabis use.
P oblema ic Cannabis Use. The Cannabis Abuse Sc eening Tes -
CAST scale ( he Spanish adap a ion by Klempo a e al., 2009) was
used. This ins umen iden i ies indi iduals who a e a highe isk
o de eloping p oblems ela ed o cannabis use. I also assesses
p oblema ic pa e ns o cannabis use, including non ec ea ional
use cons uc s (e.g., using alone), and in en ion o educe cannabis
use. The scale consis s o 6 i ems ha measu e social consequences
(e.g., p oblems wi h igh s due o cannabis use), and heal h conse-
quences (e.g., memo y p oblems) on a Like - ype scale, wi h e-
sponse op ions anging om 1 =
ne e
, 2 =
a ely
, 3 =
occasionally,
4 =
qui e o en,
o 5 =
e y o en.
The eliabili y o he scale sco es in
ou sample was α = .68, which is sligh ly lowe han he eliabili y
ob ained in he Spanish adap a ion (α = .72).
Risk Pe cep ions
The pe cei ed ulne abili y o he pa icipan s esul ing om
cannabis use was measu ed using he ques ion “How much
isk o you heal h do you hink you ha e i you use cannabis?”.
The ques ionnai e cla i ied ha isk e e s o he possibili y o
expe iencing ha m when engaging in speci ic ac i i ies. Pa icipan s
a ed pe cei ed isk (1 =
no isk
, 2 =
low isk
, 3 =
mode a e isk
, 4
=
high isk
, 5 =
I don’ know
) o scena ios in which hei use was
one o wo imes pe mon h, once a week, once a day, o mo e han
wice a day. The eliabili y o he scale sco es was α = .86.
Ou come Expec ancies
They a e belie s abou he con ingencies o cannabis use and
i s posi i e o nega i e consequences. Va ious s udies ha e aised
measu emen issues ega ding expec ancies, highligh ing he
impo ance o conside ing con ex ual and social ac o s o a mo e
42
I. M. He e a-Sánchez e al. / The Eu opean Jou nal o Psychology Applied o Legal Con ex (2025) 17(1) 39-47
accu a e de e mina ion o indi iduals’ ou come expec ancies (Wilson
e al., 2016). To add ess his, an open-ended ques ion was posed o
pa icipan s o iden i y he posi i e and nega i e consequences o
non-use beha io ega ding cannabis. They we e allowed o iden i y
up o 6 consequences and a e hei impo ance on a 5-poin scale (1
=
no impo an
o 5 =
e y impo an
). Subsequen ly, he esponses
we e ca ego ized in o posi i e consequences (pleasan and a o able
o non-use, e.g., “I ha e ewe p oblems”) and nega i e consequences
(unpleasan and un a o able o non-use, e.g., “I canno sleep”) o
acili a e analysis. In his ca ego iza ion p ocess, wo esea che s
pa icipa ed o each in e a e ag eemen . A e coding he esponses,
he a iables o posi i e and nega i e ou come expec ancies we e
gene a ed by calcula ing he o al numbe o posi i e o nega i e
consequences, weigh ed by hei a ibu ed impo ance.
Ac ion Sel -e icacy
I is an indi idual’s belie in hei abili y o pe o m a speci ic ac ion
o achie e a pa icula goal (Schwa ze & Luszczynska, 2008). I is
iden i ied in he mo i a ional s age o he model and plays a ole in
es ablishing he in en ion o engage in a speci ic beha io . Pa icipan s
we e di ec ly asked “A e you ce ain ha you will no use cannabis
when he measu e o de en ion in he cen e ends?”. Pa icipan s
esponded on a 4-poin scale anging om 1 =
no a all ce ain
o 4 =
comple ely ce ain
.
In en ion no o Use Cannabis a he End o he De en ion
Measu e (Non-use In en ion)
Acco ding o he HAPA, his e e s o he eadiness o pe o m a
speci ic ac ion a a u u e speci ied ime and in ol es mo i a ion
owa ds a goal in e ms o di ec ion and in ensi y. In he ques ionnai e,
pa icipan s we e asked o a e he i em “I in end o use cannabis
when he measu e o de en ion in he cen e ends” on a 7-poin
scale anging om 1 =
no in en ion
o 7 =
de ini ely in end
o. I is
impo an o no e ha he i em ph ased he beha io as “in en ion o
use cannabis” o con as i wi h he beha io o “no using”, ensu ing
cla i y in eading he i em, al hough he analyses and discussion
ocused on he in en ion o non-use cannabis.
Sociodemog aphic and Con ol Va iables
The su ey also included ques ions ela ed o sociodemog aphic
ac o s (age, sex, cohabi a ion be o e en e ing he cen e , place o
bi h, and educa ional le el). Da a ela ed o he o ending beha io
( ype o o ense, ype o measu e, and mon hs o de en ion) we e also
collec ed.
P ocedu e
Da a we e ob ained om a la ge s udy aimed a e alua ing he
e ec i eness o a selec i e p e en ion p og am o he use o cannabis
among JOs in JDCs. These da a co espond o he ini ial assessmen o
he pa icipan s be o e hei en olmen in he p og am.
Spanish JDCs a e managed by p i a e en i ies h ough a
bidding p ocess by he Andalusian Regional Go e nmen [
Jun a de
Andalucía
]. The e o e, p io o s a ing he s udy, a collabo a ion
ag eemen was signed be ween he Uni e si y o Se ille and he
Regional Minis y o Tou ism, Regene a ion, Jus ice and Local
Adminis a ion o he Andalusian go e nmen , g an ing he
esea ch eam access o hese cen e s. The p ojec was p esen ed
o he esponsible au ho i ies o he JDC, and he ec ui men
p ocedu e was ag eed on o he JO sample, based on he inclusion
c i e ia equi ed o he s udy. Addi ionally, he mos sui able way
o collec in o ma ion wi hou dis up ing he unc ioning o each
cen e was es ablished. The echnical s a ec ui ed he sample and
ob ained in o med consen om he JOs and hei legal gua dians.
Fu he mo e, he co esponding ju enile cou was no i ied o he
implemen a ion o he s udy. Once he a o able opinion o he
Resea ch E hics Commi ee o he
Vi gen Maca ena
and
Vi gen del
Rocío
Andalusian go e nmen uni e si y hospi als was ob ained,
he s udy was s a ed.
The ques ionnai es we e adminis e ed indi idually in pape
o ma . A space loca ed wi hin he cen e was p o ided, wi h
only one membe o he esea ch eam p esen . The esea che
in oduced hemsel es o each mino , explaining he s udy’s
pu poses, he olun a y na u e o pa icipa ion, and he gua an ee
o con iden iali y and anonymi y o he esponses.
Da a Analysis
Be o e pe o ming he s a is ical es s, missing alues in he
da abase we e handled using he mean impu a ion me hod o
he ollowing a iables: isk pe cep ions (5), posi i e ou come
expec ancies (7), nega i e ou come expec ancies (8), ac ion sel -
e icacy (4), and use in en ion (5). Fu he mo e, he alues o he
use in en ion a iable we e e e sed o be e unde s anding o he
da a ob ained (non-use in en ion). No mali y and homoscedas ici y
assump ions o all s udy a iables we e assessed using he
Kolmogo o -Smi no and Le ene es s, espec i ely. The esul s
indica ed ha he da a did no mee he necessa y c i e ia o be
conside ed no mally dis ibu ed.
To es
H
1,
H
2, and
H
3, mul iple linea eg ession analyses
we e pe o med using he s epwise en y me hod, and he e ec
size ( 2) was calcula ed using he GPowe 3.1 so wa e. Fo
H
4
and
H
5, he PROCESS mac o o SPSS (Hayes, 2022) was used wi h
10,000 boo s ap esamples and bias co ec ion. Hypo hesis 4 was
examined h ough a media ion analysis (model 4), which was
accep ed i he con idence in e al (CI) was s a is ically signi ican ,
meaning ha he 95% CI did no include ze o (Hayes, 2022). The
pe cen age o media ion was calcula ed as he a io o he indi ec
e ec o he o al e ec (
ab
/
ab
+
c’
). Addi ionally, while he Sobel
es has been c i icized by Iga ua and Hayes (2021), i was used o
con i m he media ion e ec . The Sobel es (Sobel, 1982) calcula es
he a io be ween he poin es ima e and i s s anda d e o . The
media ion e ec was conside ed s a is ically signi ican i he
Z
- alue in he Sobel es ell ou side ± 1.96 a a wo- ailed alpha
o .05, and ou side ± 2.58 a a wo- ailed alpha o .01. On he o he
Table 1. Con as be ween Gende and he Va iables o he Model
Men (
n
= 82) Women (
n
= 21)
Mdn
( ange)
Mdn
( ange)
U p
Cohen’s
d
Risk Pe cep ions 9.26 (18) 9.26 (12) 834.50 .83 0.04
Posi i e Ou comes Expec ancies 10 (25) 10 (30) 745.00 .34 0.19
Nega i e Ou comes Expec ancies 10 (30) 7 (24) 738.50 .31 0.20
Ac ion Sel -e icacy 2 (3) 2 (3) 713.50 .21 0.24
Non-use In en ion 4 (6) 3 (6) 680.50 .13 0.29
43
Cannabis Use In en ion among Ju enile O ende s
hand, o e i y
H
5, a mode a ion analysis (model 1) was conduc ed,
which was con i med i he in e ac ion be ween mo i a ional
a iables and gende yielded a signi icance le el below .05.
Resul s
Fi s , a p elimina y analysis was pe o med o de e mine i he e
was any ela ionship be ween he gende a iable and he a iables
o he HAPA. As shown in Table 1, no signi ican di e ences we e
ound, and he e ec sizes we e ei he null o low.
On he o he hand, Table 2 p esen s he co ela ions, means, and
s anda d de ia ions o he main a iables in ol ed in he hypo heses
p oposed in ou s udy.
To es
H
1 and
H
2, a mul iple linea eg ession analysis was
conduc ed using he s epwise en y me hod o examine he e ec o
he se o mo i a ional a iables p oposed by he HAPA on he non-
use in en ion a iable.
As shown in Table 3, he eg ession equa ion was s a is ically
signi ican wi h
F
(4, 98) = 8.39,
p
< .001. The
R
2 alue was .25,
indica ing ha 25% o he change in he non-use in en ion o JOs can be
explained by he mo i a ional a iables o he HAPA. Speci ically, he
eg ession equa ion was 1.84 + 0.09 ( isk pe cep ions) + 0.01 (posi i e
ou come expec ancies) – 0.04 (nega i e ou come expec ancies) +
0.73 (ac ion sel -e icacy). In o he wo ds, he in en ion no o use
cannabis among JOs inc eases by 0.09 poin s o each addi ional
poin o isk pe cep ions, inc eases by 0.01 poin s o each poin o
posi i e ou come expec ancies, dec eases by 0.04 poin s o each
poin o nega i e ou come expec ancies, and inc eases by 0.73 poin s
o each poin o ac ion sel -e icacy. These esul s demons a e high
s a is ical powe (1 - β = .99), and an e ec size ha app oaches a high
le el ( 2 = .34).
Al hough he abo e da a sugges ha he ac ion sel -e icacy
a iable plays a p ima y ole in explaining non-use in en ion, a
s epwise mul iple linea eg ession was pe o med o u he con i m
his poin . As shown in Table 4, he a iables ac ion sel -e icacy and
nega i e ou come expec ancies alone accoun o 23% o he a iance
in non-use in en ion. When conside ing ac ion sel -e icacy alone, i
explains 19% o he a iance, wi h a mode a e e ec size ( 2 = .23).
To es
H
3 and examine he in luence o pas beha io s (age o
onse o use, du a ion o use, and p oblema ic use) on he non-use
in en ion o JOs, a s epwise mul iple eg ession was conduc ed.
In his analysis, he only signi ican p edic o o non-use in en ion
among he pas beha io s was he age o onse o cannabis use, wi h
a low e ec size,
F
(1, 101) = 13.63;
R
2 = .12; β = .41;
p
< .001;
2
= .13.
Conside ing his esul , he p oposed media ion model o es
he
H
4 only included he age o onse o use as he p edic o o pas
beha io . In his model, all mo i a ional a iables in he model, excep
o posi i e expec a ions, had a signi ican media ing e ec be ween
he age o onse o use and he in en ion o use cannabis.
Rega ding isk pe cep ions, i s indi ec e ec was signi ican (β =
.08, CI [.01, .19]). The Sobel es con i med his media ing e ec (
z
=
2.02,
p
< .05), sugges ing ha he e ec o age o onse on non-use
in en ion is media ed by 24% (Pm = .24) h ough he isk pe cep ions
o JOs (see Table 5).
On he o he hand, nega i e ou come expec ancies ob ained a
signi ican media ing e ec size o 20%, yielding a β = .07 (CI [0.0031,
0.1519]; Sobel
z
= 2.25,
p
< .05) on he ela ionship be ween age o
onse and non-use in en ion (see Table 6).
Table 2. Spea man’s Rho Co ela ions o he Analyzed Va iables
12345678
1. Age o onse -
2. Yea s o use -.85** -
3. P oblema ic Cannabis Use -.06 .09 -
4. Risk Pe cep ions .41** -.31** .13 -
5. Posi i e Ou come Expec ancies .18 -.02 .09 .40** -
6. Nega i e Ou come Expec ancies -.32** .22*.14 -.30** -.70** -
7. Ac ion Sel -e icacy .40** -.36** .14 .33** .30** -.29** -
8. Non-use in en ion .29** -.24*.04 .33** .32** -.32** .45** -
M
12.24 4.08 4.08 9.26 9.89 10.00 2.44 4.21
SD
1.90 2.06 1.55 3.77 8.28 7.64 1.05 2.27
N
103 103 103 103 103 103 103 103
*
p
< .05, **
p
< .01.
Table 3. Mul iple Reg ession Model wi h S epwise En y Me hod o he E ec o Mo i a ional Va iables om he HAPA on Non-use In en ion
P edic o Va iables
F
(4, 98)
R
2βS anda d e o
p
1-β 2
Model 8.40 .25 1.84 .87 < .001 .99 .43
Risk Pe cep ions .09 .06 .11
Posi i e Ou come Expec ancies .01 .03 .69
Nega i e Ou come Expec ancies -.04 .04 .25
Ac ion Sel -e icacy .73 .20 < .001
*
p
< .05, **
p
< .01.
Table 4. Mul iple Reg ession Model wi h S epwise En y Me hod o he E ec o Va iables om he HAPA on Non-use In en ion
P edic o Va iables
F
(2, 100)
R
2
ΔR
2βS anda d e o
p
1-β 2
Model (1+2) 15.04 .23 2.82 .63 <.001 .99 .30
1. Ac ion Sel -e icacy .19 .83 .19 <.001 .99 .23
2. Nega i e Ou come Expec ancies .04 -.06 .03 .02 .99 .07
*
p
< .05, **
p
< .01.

44
I. M. He e a-Sánchez e al. / The Eu opean Jou nal o Psychology Applied o Legal Con ex (2025) 17(1) 39-47
Table 5. Resul s o he Media ion Analysis o Risk Pe cep ions on he
Rela ionship be ween Age o Onse and Non-use In en ion
CI 95%
Pa h
B
β
SE p LL UL
a
0.72 .36 .18 3.94 .00 .36 1.09
b
0.14 .23 .06 2.34 .02 .02 .26
c′
0.31 .26 .12 2.66 .01 .08 .55
ab
0.10 .08 .04 .01 .19
c
0.41 .34 .11 3.69 .00 .19 .63
z SE p1
Sobel es 2.02 .05 .04
No e. SE
= s anda d e o ; CI 95% = con idence in e al o 95%;
LL
= lowe limi ;
UL
=
uppe limi ; 1 wo- ailed p obabili y; Pm = Pe cen age o media ion =
ab/c
= .24.
Table 6. Resul s o he Media ion Analysis o Nega i e Ou come Expec ancies
on he Rela ionship be ween Age o Onse and Non-use In en ion
CI 95%
Pa h
B
β
SE p LL UL
a
-1.35 -.34 .37 -3.58 .00 -2.1006 -0.6029
b
-0.06 .27 .02 -2.17 .03 -0.1204 -0.0054
c′
0.33 -21 .12 2.81 .00 0.0967 0.5600
ab
0.08 .07 .04 0.0031 0.1519
c
0.41 .34 .11 3.69 .00 0.1912 0.6354
z SE p1
Sobel es 2.25 .03 .02
No e. SE
= s anda d e o s; CI 95% = con idence in e al o 95%;
LL
= lowe limi ;
UL
=
uppe limi ; 1 wo- ailed p obabili y; Pm = Pe cen age o media ion =
ab/c
= .20.
Table 7. Resul s o he Media ion Analysis o Ac ion Sel -e icacy on he
Rela ionship be ween Age o onse and Non-use In en ion
CI 95%
Pa h
B
β
SE p LL UL
a
0.20 .37 .05 3.98 .00 0.1026 0.3066
b
0.77 .36 .20 3.78 .00 0.3649 1.1733
c′
0.26 .21 .11 2.26 .02 0.0313 0.4806
ab
0.16 .13 .07 0.0476 0.3329
c
0.41 .34 .11 3.69 .00 0.1912 0.6354
z SE p1
Sobel es 2.77 .05 .00
No e. SE
= s anda d e o s; CI 95% = con idence in e al o 95%;
LL
= lowe limi ;
UL
=
uppe limi ; 1 wo- ailed p obabili y; Pm = Pe cen age o media ion = ab/c= .38.
Finally, he mo i a ional a iable o ac ion sel -e icacy ob ained a
la ge media ion size compa ed o he o he s (Pm = 38%) in explaining
he ela ionship be ween age and in en ion. This can be seen in Table
7, whe e βab was .13 (CI [0.0476, 0.3329]; Sobel
z
= 2.77,
p
< .01).
6
5
4
3
2
1
Non-use in en ion
Risk pe cep ions
B (Men) = 0.1351,
p
< .03
B (Woman) = 0.4773,
p
< .001
-4 -2 0 2 4
Figu e 1. Mode a ing E ec o Gende on he Rela ionship be ween Risk
Pe cep ions and In en ion no o Use Cannabis.
6
5
4
3
2
Non-use in en ion
Ac ion sel -e icacy
B (Men) = 0.6864,
p
< .01
B (Woman) = 1.6119,
p
< .001
-1.20 -.80 4
-.40 .00 .40 .80
Figu e 2. Mode a ing E ec o Gende on he Rela ionship be ween Ac ion
Sel -e icacy and In en ion no o Use Cannabis.
The inal hypo hesis (
H
5) aimed o examine he po en ial
mode a ing e ec o gende on he ela ionship be ween he
mo i a ional a iables o he HAPA and he in en ion no o
use cannabis in JOs. To explo e his, a mode a ion analysis was
conduc ed, e ealing ha he a iables o isk pe cep ions (β =
.34,
p
< .05, CI [0.05, 0.63]) and ac ion sel -e icacy (β = .93,
p
<
.05, CI [0.04, 1.80]) had a signi ican di e en ial e ec on non-use
in en ion based on he gende o he JOs (see Table 8). Speci ically,
i was obse ed ha he impac o bo h isk pe cep ions and ac ion
sel -e icacy on in en ion was g ea e o women han o men.
In o he wo ds, he inc ease in isk pe cep ions and ac ion sel -
Table 8. Resul s o he Mode a ion Analysis o Gende on Mo i a ional Va iables and Non-use In en ion
Mode a ing/Mo i a ional
Va iable β
SE p LL UL
Risk Pe cep ions (RP) -.21 .18 -1.15 .25 -0.5657 0.1513
Gende (G) -.75 .51 -1.45 .15 -1.7695 0.2729
RP x G .34 .14 2.33 .02 0.0506 0.6339
Ac ion Sel -e icacy (AS) -.24 .59 -0.41 .68 -1.4014 0.9232
Gende (G) -.43 .50 -0.85 .40 -1.4249 0.5731
AS x G .93 .45 2.08 .04 0.0421 1.8089
Highe -o de uncondi ional in e ac ion es s (Hayes, 2022)
Change in
R
2
Fd
1
d
2
p
RPxG .04 5.42 199 .02
ASxG .03 4.32 199 .04
No e. SE
= s anda d e o s;
LL
= lowe limi ;
UL
= uppe limi .
45
Cannabis Use In en ion among Ju enile O ende s
e icacy among women led o a g ea e inc ease in hei in en ion
no o use cannabis (see Figu es 1 and 2).
Discussion
The p esen s udy p o ides e idence o he applicabili y o
he mo i a ional s age o he HAPA (Schwa ze , 1992, 2008) o
p edic ing JOs’ in en ion no o use cannabis a e hei elease
om a JDC. Taken oge he , he mo i a ional a iables accoun ed
o 25.5% o he a iance obse ed in non-use in en ion, indica ing
a medium- o-la ge e ec size. This e ec size is highe han he one
epo ed by Zhang e al. (2019). Fu he mo e, ac ion sel -e icacy
alone explained 19% o he a iance.
Schwa ze and Luszczynska (2008) poin ed ou ha his model
is p ima ily sui ed o an adul popula ion. Howe e , ou indings
con i m ha , a leas in e ms o he mo i a ional s age, i is also
applicable o JOs wi h a high- isk p o ile. These esul s align wi h
p e ious indings ela ed o heal h- isk beha io s (see Wilson e al.,
2016). The e o e, we can conclude ha mo i a ional p ocesses play
a c ucial ole in he in en ion o JOs o change hei heal h- ela ed
beha io .
To de elop an in en ion no o use cannabis upon hei elease
om he JDC, JOs need o pe cei e hemsel es as ulne able o
he nega i e heal h consequences o cannabis use and belie e
ha con inuing o use may lead o u he legal issues. A s udy
ca ied ou wi h young smoke s ound no associa ion be ween isk
pe cep ion and in en ion o educe smoking. The au ho s a gued
ha he long- ime lapse be ween smoking in adolescence and
he onse o diseases such as lung cance du ing la e adul hood
migh a ec he o ma ion o in en ions (Schwa ze & Luszczynska,
2008). Ne e heless, ou s udy obse ed ha isk pe cep ions
we e associa ed wi h in en ion when JOs expe ienced he nega i e
consequences o hei subs ance use o hemsel es.
Rega ding ou come expec ancies, ou indings indica e ha
posi i e ou come expec ancies s eng hen he in en ion no
o use cannabis, whe eas nega i e ou come expec ancies ha e
he opposi e e ec . This sugges s ha he JOs in ou s udy we e
conside ing he po en ial bene i s beyond he immedia e nega i e
consequences o qui ing, such as educing heal h isks, a oiding
legal oubles, imp o ing amily ela ionship, and add essing
challenges in he school en i onmen . Mo eo e , ou esul s e eal
ha ac ion sel -e icacy is he mos powe ul p edic o o he
in en ion no o consume cannabis. I is possible ha he o ced
abs inence imposed du ing hei de en ion se ed as a di ec
expe ience o he a ge beha io , con ibu ing o he de elopmen
o expec a ions o success ul change (Bandu a, 2001). The e o e,
ou come expec ancies and sel -e icacy play c ucial oles in
pe cei ing he po en ial bene i s and building he con idence o
ini ia e beha io change.
In he analysis o he e ec o pas beha io on in en ion, only
age a onse was ound o ha e a signi ican associa ion, wi h an
e ec size close o medium. Speci ically, he ea lie he pa icipan s
had begun using cannabis, he weake hei in en ion o qui in he
u u e. These indings can be be e unde s ood i isk pe cep ions,
nega i e ou come expec ancies associa ed wi h qui ing, and ac ion
sel -e icacy a e iewed as media ing a iables. JOs who ini ia ed
cannabis use a a younge age and exhibi highe esis ance o
change end o ha e a diminished pe cep ion o he isks in ol ed
in hei beha io , an icipa e mo e nega i e consequences i hey
s op using cannabis, and ha e less con idence in hei abili y o
con inue no using a e hei elease.
These indings align wi h hose epo ed by Tolou-Shams e al.
(2021), who conduc ed a p ospec i e s udy wi h i s - ime jus ice-
in ol ed you h o iden i y p edic o s o cannabis use. In hei
s udy, he au ho s disco e ed ha young indi iduals who epo ed
ini ia ing cannabis use be o e he age o 13 displayed s onge
in en ions o con inue using d ugs and held mo e a o able belie s
abou his beha io . They also ound ha youngs e s who we e he
mos a isk o ini ia ing d ug use a e ha ing p oblems wi h he
jus ice sys em we e hose who exp essed a s onge in en ion o
use d ugs, had mo e posi i e expec a ions ega ding cannabis use,
and demons a ed lowe le els o sel -con ol.
The lack o signi ican di ec o media ing e ec o p oblema ic
use and i s du a ion on in en ion is consis en wi h indings om
ano he s udy conduc ed wi h young adul o ende s (O’G ady,
2022). In ha s udy, he au ho s examined he ela ionship be ween
he se e i y o d ug use and eadiness o change alcohol and d ug
use beha io s, bu no signi ican associa ion was ound be ween
he wo a iables. Howe e , i is impo an o no e ha o he
s udies ci ed in his pape did iden i y signi ican ela ionships. We
ag ee wi h he au ho s’ sugges ion ha u he esea ch is equi ed
o cla i y hese con adic ions.
Finally, ou indings indica e ha gende mode a es he di ec
e ec s o isk pe cep ions and ac ion sel -e icacy on in en ion.
Speci ically, when hese mo i a ional a iables we e low, emale
JOs exp essed a weake in en ion no o use a e hei elease
han hei male coun e pa s. Con e sely, when he le el o hese
a iables was high, he e ec on in en ion was s onge among
emale o ende s han among male o ende s. In o he wo ds,
isk pe cep ions and sel -e icacy had a mo e mo i a ing e ec on
women han on men.
The di e en ial e ec o hese mo i a ional ac o s may p o ide
an explana ion o he dis inc usage ajec o ies obse ed be ween
men and women (Chassin e al., 2016). Mo eo e , o he s udies ha e
epo ed ha women end o bene i mo e han men om he ca e
and ea men se ices p o ided in JDCs (Wel y e al., 2017). The
esul s o he p esen s udy shed ligh on he cogni i e mechanisms
ha unde lie his di e en ial esponse.
The main limi a ion o he p esen s udy is i s ocus solely on he
mo i a ional a iables o he HAPA ha a e in ol ed in he a ge
beha io (in en ion no o use cannabis a e being eleased om
he JDC), wi hou inco po a ing ( o he easons ou lined ea lie )
he social cogni i e a iables ha a e di ec ly in ol ed in he
p ocess o ac ually engaging in he a ge beha io ( he beha io o
no use cannabis a e se ing hei sen ence and being eleased).
Howe e , i is impo an o no e ha acco ding o social cogni i e
models, in en ion in ol es a conscious decision o ac and se es as
a p ecu so o ac ion. Indi iduals wi h a clea and speci ic in en ion
o ac a e mo e likely o adop speci ic measu es o achie e hei
goals (Luszczynska & Schwa ze , 2003; Mu g a e al., 2003).
Limi a ions
The use o sel - epo s wi h JOs is also usually conside ed
a limi a ion, since his popula ion is o en eluc an o p o ide
in o ma ion due o hei legal si ua ion (Tolou-Shams e al., 2021).
This may ha e been he eason o he low in e nal consis ency
alue ob ained on one o he scales, and he esul s associa ed
wi h his a iable should be in e p e ed wi h cau ion. Ano he
limi a ion associa ed wi h he measu emen is he decision o
measu e ou come expec ancies using an open o ma . This was
d i en by he lack o speci ic s anda dized ins umen s designed
o his popula ion, and exis ing ins umen s lacked su icien
psychome ic gua an ees (Tolou-Shams e al., 2021).
Las ly, he s udy’s c oss-sec ional na u e is ano he limi a ion,
al hough media ion and mode a ion analyses we e conduc ed
using he PROCESS mac o o gain deepe insigh in o he a iables
unde lying he beha io unde s udy. None heless, longi udinal
designs a e mo e app op ia e o explo ing causal ela ions wi hin
a speci ic ime ame.
46
I. M. He e a-Sánchez e al. / The Eu opean Jou nal o Psychology Applied o Legal Con ex (2025) 17(1) 39-47
Implica ions and Conclusion
The indings o he p esen s udy ha e impo an implica ions
o p omo ing con inued non-use cannabis among JOs a e hei
elease om JDCs. I would be expec ed ha being de ained would
help JOs es ablish a connec ion be ween he e en s ha led hem o
ha e p oblems wi h he jus ice sys em and hei use o cannabis. I
is impo an o no e ha hese esul s a e speci ic o he popula ion
o JOs who cannabis use s be o e we e being sen o a JDC and
expe ienced o ced abs inence while se ing hei sen ence. Fu u e
esea ch should explo e whe he hese indings a e applicable o
o he popula ions, such as you h on p oba ion, who ha e di e en
le els supe ision and oppo uni ies o use cannabis.
Following he p oposals made by he HAPA, i is c ucial o
ecognize ha in en ion alone does no gua an ee ac ion. JOs need
o enhance hei abili y o cope wi h isky si ua ions and o e come
he en i onmen al ba ie s by adop ing adap a i e and heal hy
s a egies. Ac ion planning con be a aluable esou ce o suppo JOs
in hei e o s o qui cannabis use and s eng hen hei commi men
o ollow h ough wi h hei in en ion, e en in he ace o challenges
o ba ie s.
Con inuing esea ch is essen ial o de e mine how he
p edic ions in he oli ional s age o he HAPA (ac ion con ol,
ini ia ion, main enance, and elapses, aking en i onmen al ba ie s
and limi a ions in o accoun ) can be applied o JO popula ion.
Addi ionally, i is impo an o in es iga e how bo h pas beha io
and gende in luence e en ual ou comes. I would also be aluable
o conside he possibili y ha hese e ec s a e ecip ocal a he
han unidi ec ional, as sugges ed by Be li e al. (2015). This means
ha highe le els o mo i a ional and oli ional p ocesses may lead
o beha io al change, while engaging in he desi ed beha io may
in u n s eng hen mo i a ional and oli ional p ocesses, enhancing
ac ion con ol. Fu u e esea ch should explo e his ecip oci y.
In e ms o p ac ical implica ions, i is key o add ess he
limi a ions associa ed wi h he p edominan ocus subs ance use
p oblems in he ju enile jus ice sys em, which p ima ily aims a
addic ion ea men . These app oaches ha e been obse ed o
o e look he speci ic needs o JOs and hei low adhe ence o he
ea men once he judicial sen ence has been se ed (Felds ein e
al., 2014). The e is a sca ci y o p e en i e p og ams wi hin jus ice
en i onmen s (Funk e al., 2020) despi e being ecognized as
necessa y and alling unde he esponsibili y o he jus ice sys em
(Sales e al., 2018). Fu he mo e, i is impo an o no e he lack o
p og ams ha a e sensi i e o he needs o emale ju enile o ende s
(Ja dani & Allen, 2016).
The indings o his s udy highligh he impac o ea ly onse o
cannabis use on he in en ion o abs ain om using a e elease.
This sugges s ha i is c i ical o implemen p e en ion measu es
ha a ge he ulne able you h popula ion o a oid he ini ia ion
o cannabis use a an ea ly onse age. Addi ionally, p o iding ea ly
in e en ion o mino s who ha e al eady s a ed using cannabis
and come in o con ac wi h he jus ice sys em is essen ial o p e en
po en ial ad e se ou comes. P e en i e ac ions should be aken o
minimize he likelihood o JOs esuming cannabis use a e elease
om JDC.
The p esen s udy p o ides guidelines o he de elopmen o
e ec i e p e en i e in e en ions ha p omo e he adop ion o
heal hy beha io s h ough he modi ica ion o he mo i a ional
p ocesses associa ed wi h a highe isk o subs ance use a e he
end o he o ced abs inence du ing de en ion. These in e en ions
should ocus on inc easing isk pe cep ions, os e ing posi i e as
opposed o nega i e expec a ions ela ed o no using, and boos ing
he con idence o JOs in hei own abili y o qui . Based on hese
mo i a ional p ocesses, in e en ions should p o ide oppo uni ies
o ica ious expe iences o success, os e sel - e lec ion o inc ease
isk awa eness, p o ide JOs wi h coping s a egies o high- isk
si ua ions, and enhance hei abili y o make ac ion plans ha
an icipa e and o e come se backs and ailu es.
In conclusion, his s udy iden i ies he mo i a ional a iables
ha a e impo an o unde s anding he in en ion o JOs o
e ain om use cannabis. These indings should se e a guide
o de eloping p e en ion p og ams implemen ed ha can be
implemen ed wi hin JDCs o s eng hen JOs’ in en ion o abs ain
om cannabis use a e hey ha e se ed hei sen ence.
Con lic o In e es
The au ho s o his a icle decla e no con lic o in e es .
Acknowledgmen s
The au ho s app ecia e he collabo a ion and suppo o all he
p o essionals and ju enile o ende s who ha e pa icipa ed in his
s udy.
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