Psychological distress nearly tripled cannabis use frequency among pregnant women in the US
Analysis of 3,373 pregnant women found those experiencing serious psychological distress used cannabis nearly three times as many days per month compared to those without distress.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 3,373 pregnant women aged 18-44, approximately 6% experienced serious psychological distress in the past 30 days. Compared to those without SPD, pregnant women with SPD showed significantly higher rates of cigarette smoking (IRR=2.1), binge drinking days (IRR=5.1), and cannabis use days (IRR=2.9). All associations remained significant after adjusting for covariates.
Key Numbers
3,373 pregnant women; 6% experienced SPD; cannabis use days IRR=2.9 (95% CI 1.3-6.5); cigarettes IRR=2.1 (95% CI 1.1-4.5); binge drinking days IRR=5.1 (95% CI 1.7-15.4)
How They Did This
Descriptive and negative binomial regression analyses of the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Examined associations between serious psychological distress and quantity/frequency of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use among 3,373 pregnant women aged 18-44.
Why This Research Matters
The strong link between psychological distress and prenatal substance use suggests that treating maternal mental health could reduce substance exposure during pregnancy more effectively than substance-specific interventions alone.
The Bigger Picture
When pregnant women use substances at higher rates during psychological distress, interventions that only target substance use without addressing the underlying mental health need may miss the primary driver.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional NSDUH data cannot establish causation. Self-reported substance use likely underestimates true use during pregnancy. SPD is a screening measure, not a clinical diagnosis. Cannot distinguish between types of psychological distress.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would treating maternal depression and anxiety reduce prenatal cannabis use as a secondary effect?
- ?Are women using cannabis specifically to self-medicate psychological distress during pregnancy?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Serious psychological distress associated with 2.9x more cannabis use days during pregnancy
- Evidence Grade:
- Large nationally representative survey with adjusted regression models, though cross-sectional design and self-reported data have inherent limitations.
- Study Age:
- Published 2023 using 2015-2019 data
- Original Title:
- Exploring the associations between serious psychological distress and the quantity or frequency of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use among pregnant women in the United States.
- Published In:
- Preventive medicine, 177, 107770 (2023)
- Authors:
- David, Ayomide T, Sharma, Vinita, Bittencourt, Lorna, Gurka, Kelly K, Perez-Carreño, Juan Guillermo, Lopez-Quintero, Catalina
- Database ID:
- RTHC-04486
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does mental health affect cannabis use during pregnancy?
Yes. Pregnant women experiencing serious psychological distress used cannabis on nearly three times as many days per month as those without distress, suggesting mental health treatment could reduce prenatal substance exposure.
How common is psychological distress among pregnant women?
About 6% of pregnant women in this national sample experienced serious psychological distress, and those women showed significantly elevated rates of cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol use.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-04486APA
David, Ayomide T; Sharma, Vinita; Bittencourt, Lorna; Gurka, Kelly K; Perez-Carreño, Juan Guillermo; Lopez-Quintero, Catalina. (2023). Exploring the associations between serious psychological distress and the quantity or frequency of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use among pregnant women in the United States.. Preventive medicine, 177, 107770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107770
MLA
David, Ayomide T, et al. "Exploring the associations between serious psychological distress and the quantity or frequency of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use among pregnant women in the United States.." Preventive medicine, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107770
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Exploring the associations between serious psychological dis..." RTHC-04486. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/david-2023-exploring-the-associations-between
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.