Using weed during pregnancy linked to psychotic-like behaviors in children, study finds

Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by Magnumnumnum

(CNN) If you're one of the growing numbers of women who use weed while pregnant, think twice: A new study found it may increase psychotic-like behaviors in children.

The study, published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry , analyzed data on 11,489 children who were followed as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which says it's the "largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States." The children's cognitive and behavior patterns were evaluated in middle childhood, around age 9.

Of those children, 655 were exposed to cannabis while in utero, according to statements from the mothers. Compared to the 10,834 children with no exposure, children whose mothers had used during pregnancy were more likely to have psychotic-like behaviors and more attention, social and sleep problems, as well as weaker cognitive abilities.

If the woman continued to use after she discovered she was pregnant, the negative effects were more pronounced, the study found, and stayed after adjusting for confounding variables.

"Use of cannabis despite knowledge of pregnancy might represent a preexisting and more severe form of cannabis use," the authors wrote.

anonymous_212 on September 23rd, 2020 at 21:35 UTC »

My son’s schizophrenia emerged after he began smoking pot. Turns out that people who have a family history of the disease are more likely to get it if they smoke as teenagers. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/teens-who-smoke-pot-at-risk-for-later-schizophrenia-psychosis-201103071676

Yozhik_DeMinimus on September 23rd, 2020 at 16:31 UTC »

Note the small (but statistically significant) impacts in table 2. And the statement "Prenatal cannabis exposure explained less than 1.9% of variance in outcomes."

Still a bad idea to use cannabis during pregnancy.

Magnumnumnum on September 23rd, 2020 at 15:39 UTC »

From the research article:

Question Is prenatal exposure to cannabis associated with child outcomes?

Findings This cross-sectional analysis of 11 489 children (655 exposed to cannabis prenatally) found that prenatal cannabis exposure after maternal knowledge of pregnancy was associated with greater psychopathology during middle childhood, even after accounting for potentially confounding variables.

Meaning Prenatal cannabis exposure may increase risk for psychopathology; consistent with recent recommendations by the Surgeon General of the United States, these data suggest that cannabis use during pregnancy should be discouraged by clinicians and dispensaries.

Full article here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2770964?guestAccessKey=6f5b980c-8226-4202-8b98-49aaa4412145&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=092320