This thesis explores whether cannabis use moderates the relationship between affective empathy and two types of aggression - proactive and reactive - in detained youth. Previous literature has linked cannabis use to reductions in aggression and to higher affective empathy separately. However, its role as a moderator in the relationship between affective empathy and proactive and reactive aggression in detained youth, where cannabis use is highly prevalent, remains unexplored.  This study aims to provide greater clarity on the mechanisms by which cannabis may reduce aggression through its interaction with affective empathy, and whether this process differs between proactive and reactive aggression in detained youth. A cross-sectional design was used with self-report measures of affective empathy, aggression, and cannabis use collected from a sample of detained adolescents. This data was subsequently analysed through moderation analyses, controlling for age and gender.

These findings provide new insights into whether cannabis may act as a protective factor in this high-risk population, contributing to the development of evidence-based cannabis use policies and aggression reduction intervention programs within juvenile justice settings.