An app-based parenting program was particularly effective at reducing anxiety in parents of young children who had started using cannabis regularly during adolescence.
Pediatricians, family therapists, parenting intervention developers, and researchers studying long-term effects of adolescent substance use
356 parents in RCT of digital parenting program
What the researchers found
Among 356 parents of children ages 1.5-5, those who began regular cannabis use as adolescents had higher anxiety and depression symptoms regardless of current use. The Family Check-Up Online intervention was especially effective at reducing anxiety for parents with adolescent-onset cannabis use.
Why it matters
This study suggests adolescent cannabis use may carry mental health consequences that persist into the parenting years, and that targeted interventions can help address these lasting effects.
The numbers in context
356 parents of children ages 1.5-5; adolescent-onset cannabis use significantly associated with higher anxiety and depression after accounting for current use; FCU-O significantly moderated the relationship between adolescent-onset use and anxiety
How the study worked
Randomized controlled trial of 356 parents (screened for substance misuse or depressive symptoms) assigned to an app-based parenting program with telehealth coaching (FCU-O) or control. Baseline and 3-month follow-up assessments examined how adolescent-onset cannabis use moderated intervention effectiveness.
What this study cannot tell us
Retrospective self-report of adolescent substance use; 3-month follow-up is short; participants screened for risk factors so results may not generalize to all parents; no long-term child outcome data
How to read the evidence
Randomized controlled trial with a moderation analysis, but relatively short follow-up and retrospective substance use assessment.
When this study was published
2024 study
The bigger picture
The finding that adolescent cannabis use predicts mental health challenges years later during parenting adds to evidence that early cannabis exposure may have long-lasting consequences beyond the period of active use.
Questions still open
- Do the mental health benefits of the intervention persist beyond three months? Could similar interventions help with other long-term consequences of adolescent cannabis use?
Common questions
Why did starting cannabis as a teen affect parenting years later?
How did the parenting app help?
Read the original research
Adolescent-onset cannabis use and parenting young children: an investigation of differential effectiveness of a digital parenting intervention.
Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry, 3
Citation
Hails, Katherine A; McWhirter, Anna Cecilia; Sileci, Audrey C B; Stormshak, Elizabeth A. (2024). Adolescent-onset cannabis use and parenting young children: an investigation of differential effectiveness of a digital parenting intervention.. Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2024.1392541
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