Clinicians Say Nausea Drives Most Prenatal Cannabis Use
Mental health clinicians reported that nausea and morning sickness are the top reasons pregnant patients use cannabis, with peers being the primary information source.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 26 perinatal mental health clinicians, nausea/morning sickness was identified as the most common motive for prenatal cannabis use. Patients primarily get cannabis information from peers rather than healthcare providers. Clinicians used motivational interviewing, harm reduction, and psychoeducation to address use.
Key Numbers
26 clinicians surveyed (100% female, 73.1% White, mean age 48.1). 14 completed semi-structured interviews. Nausea/morning sickness ranked as top motive.
How They Did This
Mixed-methods study with surveys (N=26) and semi-structured interviews (n=14) of licensed mental health clinicians in Kaiser Permanente Northern California's perinatal substance use screening program.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding why pregnant people use cannabis and where they get information helps shape effective clinical conversations and public health messaging during a critical developmental window.
The Bigger Picture
As prenatal cannabis use rises, the gap between peer-sourced information and clinical guidance widens. Clinicians report that patient readiness, therapeutic rapport, and mental health support are key to successful intervention.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Clinician perspectives may not fully reflect patient experiences. Single healthcare system limits generalizability. Small sample of predominantly White female clinicians.
Questions This Raises
- ?Are there safer alternatives to cannabis for pregnancy-related nausea that patients would accept?
- ?How can clinical messaging compete with peer information networks?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Nausea/morning sickness identified as the top motive for prenatal cannabis use
- Evidence Grade:
- Mixed-methods study with small clinician sample from a single healthcare system.
- Study Age:
- 2025 study from Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
- Original Title:
- Mental health clinicians' perceptions on patient motivations and intervention engagement for prenatal cannabis use: A mixed methods study.
- Published In:
- Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 15, 100334 (2025)
- Authors:
- Mian, Maha N(8), Does, Monique B(24), Altschuler, Andrea(10), Green, Andrea, Ansley, Deborah R, Castellanos, Carley, Asyyed, Asma H, Satre, Derek D, Young-Wolff, Kelly C
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07129
Evidence Hierarchy
Uses interviews or focus groups to understand experiences in depth.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why do pregnant women use cannabis?
Mental health clinicians in this study reported that nausea and morning sickness are the most common reasons, with patients primarily learning about cannabis use during pregnancy from their peers.
What approaches help pregnant patients reduce cannabis use?
Clinicians reported success with motivational interviewing, harm reduction, and psychoeducation. Building rapport, assessing readiness to change, and addressing underlying mental health concerns were identified as key facilitators.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07129APA
Mian, Maha N; Does, Monique B; Altschuler, Andrea; Green, Andrea; Ansley, Deborah R; Castellanos, Carley; Asyyed, Asma H; Satre, Derek D; Young-Wolff, Kelly C. (2025). Mental health clinicians' perceptions on patient motivations and intervention engagement for prenatal cannabis use: A mixed methods study.. Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 15, 100334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2025.100334
MLA
Mian, Maha N, et al. "Mental health clinicians' perceptions on patient motivations and intervention engagement for prenatal cannabis use: A mixed methods study.." Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2025.100334
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Mental health clinicians' perceptions on patient motivations..." RTHC-07129. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/mian-2025-mental-health-clinicians-perceptions
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.