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Prenatal Cannabis Use Did Not Predict Autism-Related Behaviors in Black Children

RTHC-055972024Nutor, C; Dunlop, A; Sadler, O; Brennan, P A
Prospective CohortModerate evidence
The takeaway

In 172 Black mother-child pairs, prenatal cannabis use was not associated with autism-related behaviors; prenatal stress was the significant predictor.

Pregnant individuals, prenatal providers, and autism researchers.

Prenatal cannabis was not associated with ASD behaviors in this Black cohort

What the researchers found

Prenatal cannabis use did not predict ASD-related behaviors. Prenatal stress was significantly associated with ASD-related behaviors.

Why it matters

Black mothers are understudied in prenatal cannabis research. Stress, not cannabis, was the significant predictor.

The numbers in context

172 Black mother-child pairs; cannabis not significant; prenatal stress significant

How the study worked

Prospective cohort of 172 Black mother-child pairs examining prenatal cannabis use, stress, and child ASD behaviors.

What this study cannot tell us

Small sample. Dimensional ASD measurement. Self-reported cannabis use.

How to read the evidence

Prospective cohort but small sample.

When this study was published

Published in 2024.

The bigger picture

Growing evidence that prenatal cannabis alone may not be an independent autism risk factor.

Questions still open

  • Would larger studies confirm the null finding?
  • Could stress reduction be more beneficial than cannabis cessation?

Common questions

Does prenatal cannabis cause autism?
This study found no association. Prenatal stress was the predictor.
Why study Black families?
They face unique stressors and are underrepresented in this research.

Read the original research

Prenatal Cannabis Use and Offspring Autism-Related Behaviors: Examining Maternal Stress as a Moderator in a Black American Cohort.

Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 54(6), 2355-2367

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Nutor, C; Dunlop, A; Sadler, O; Brennan, P A. (2024). Prenatal Cannabis Use and Offspring Autism-Related Behaviors: Examining Maternal Stress as a Moderator in a Black American Cohort.. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 54(6), 2355-2367. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-05982-z

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