Ecological momentary assessment of cannabis use and psychiatric symptoms in young adults -Victoria Ewen (2022)

Traditional research often relies on "retrospective recall"—asking people how they felt weeks ago—which can be inaccurate. This study used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), a method where participants receive several prompts a day on their smartphones to report their current state.

By tracking young adults in their natural environments, Ewen investigated the "micro-temporal" associations between cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Essentially, she looked at whether a person uses cannabis because they are feeling symptomatic (self-medication) or if their symptoms increase after use.