Many Veterans live with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and use cannabis to manage distress, despite limited supportive evidence. Veterans with PTSD who use cannabis often struggle with sleep, physical activity, and social connection, which are factors critical to health and well-being. This project will use smartphones and wearable devices to track symptoms and daily behaviors in real time and provide personalized feedback to help Veterans understand and manage the impact of PTSD and cannabis use in their lives. The study will develop a motivational interviewing-based personalized feedback approach that uses real-time data to help Veterans make data-informed decisions about their mental health, cannabis use, and functional behaviors. Findings will support development of scalable, Veteran-centered tools to promote healthier coping, functional recovery, and quality of life, even if they are not currently in treatment. The goal is to develop supportive, real-time strategies that meet Veterans where they are and promote better outcomes across the VA healthcare system.
U.S. Military Veterans
DSM-5 PTSD diagnosis verified by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5)
Cannabis use at least once per week over the past 3 months
If on psychotropic medication or in psychotherapy (excluding trauma-focused PTSD therapy; see
English-speaking and reading
Willing and able to use a smartphone and wearable device for 2 weeks
Severe substance use disorder (excluding cannabis), as acute withdrawal or other drug effects could confound data; mild/moderate non-cannabis disorders permitted with monitoring
Lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia or other primary psychotic disorder due to potential confounding of EMA responses