The Effect of Antenatal Maternal Cannabis Use on Parenting Behavior

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PROJECT SUMMARY As United States cannabis policy shifts toward liberalization, norms and behaviors around adult use have shifted in kind. This includes parent use, which is increasing in frequency and prevalence. While certain deficits have been found in children of parents who use cannabis, these associations are inherently subject to confounding by parents and children’s social environments, and potential for causal inference has been limited. Parents report using for stress-coping, but the relationship between cannabis and stress is complex and highly dependent on social context. Patterns of cannabis use among parents mirror existing health inequities. Theoretical social epidemiologic models suggest that drug use as a stress-coping mechanism is both a reflection of health inequities and cause of health disparities, which may be further exacerbated in the context of intergenerational effects. Theoretical models and empirical evidence from developmental psychology underline the important and interacting roles of substance use, stress and the social environment on parenting. This Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) will support the Candidate’s career development as an independent interdisciplinary researcher in modifiable factors that produce disparities and inequities in substance use, treatment and consequences across the life course. The award will support the Candidate’s short-term goal of understanding the intergenerational transmission of cannabis-related harm. This application aims to contribute a clearer understanding of the complex relationships between diverse families’ social environments, maternal cannabis use, parenting behaviors, and the maternal-infant relationship in the six months postpartum. Specific aims are to 1) understand the impact of maternal cannabis use in the first six months postpartum on parenting behaviors and maternal-infant interaction; 2) understand the influence of discrimination in the relationship between stress, cannabis use and parenting; and 3) characterize motivations for maternal cannabis use through qualitative interviews. Research aims will be explored in a prospective longitudinal cohort of pregnant women who use cannabis, following mothers and infants until one year postpartum. Outcomes will be assessed using qualitative and quantitative techniques, including interviews, surveys, behavioral observation, and biomarker measurement. By focusing on multiple levels of modifiable influence on maternal cannabis use, parenting and the maternal-infant relationship, including behavioral and biological pathways, results from this research have the potential to provide unique opportunities to address maternal and child health in the context of shifting social and legal norms surrounding adult cannabis use. This research is designed to address the Objective 4.1 of NIDA’s strategic plan to determine the impact of drug use and addiction on individuals, families, peers and society. The training plan is designed to prepare the Candidate for a career as an interdisciplinary researcher in substance use by supplementing her background in social epidemiology and secondary data analysis with training in stress research and primary data collection.