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.