{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T05:48:03Z","timestamp":1782366483215,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782345600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cannabis use among university students has been increasingly linked to psychological distress; however, most evidence comes from Western contexts, and little is known about how cannabis use intersects with emotional functioning in non-Western settings. In T\u00fcrkiye, where cannabis use remains illegal and highly stigmatized, students who use cannabis may represent a particularly vulnerable group. This study examined the associations between cannabis-related problems, psychological distress, and distress tolerance among Turkish university students, and explored students' lived psychological experiences of cannabis use.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. In the quantitative phase, 512 university students from Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir completed self-report measures assessing cannabis-related problems (Cannabis Use Problems Identification Test), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory\u2013II), anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory), and distress tolerance (Distress Tolerance Scale). In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposively selected subsample of 43 students with elevated cannabis-related problems and\/or psychological distress. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational analyses, while qualitative data were examined using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings were integrated at the interpretation level.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Greater cannabis-related problem severity was moderately associated with higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms and with lower distress tolerance. Qualitative analyses yielded four overarching themes: (1) psychological effects of cannabis use, (2) cannabis use as a distress regulation strategy, (3) perceived loss of control and ambivalence, and (4) academic and interpersonal consequences. Integration of quantitative and qualitative findings suggested a cyclical pattern in which psychological distress motivates cannabis use for short-term relief, which in turn undermines distress tolerance and contributes to further psychological and functional difficulties.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cannabis use among Turkish university students appears closely intertwined with emotional distress and reduced capacity to tolerate negative affect. Rather than being solely recreational, cannabis use often functions as a maladaptive coping strategy. Interventions targeting emotion regulation and distress tolerance may be particularly beneficial in this population. These findings highlight the importance of integrated mental health and substance-use approaches within university settings, especially in culturally conservative contexts.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1799686","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T05:30:06Z","timestamp":1782365406000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Psychological distress, distress tolerance, and cannabis-related problems among university students in T\u00fcrkiye: a mixed-methods study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Metin","family":"\u00c7\u0131naro\u01e7lu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychology Department, Faculty of Administrative and Social Science, \u00ccstanbul Ni\u015fanta\u015fi University","place":["\u00ccstanbul, 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