Prenatal Cannabis Use Did Not Predict Autism-Related Behaviors in Black Children
In 172 Black mother-child pairs, prenatal cannabis use was not associated with autism-related behaviors; prenatal stress was the significant predictor.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Prenatal cannabis use did not predict ASD-related behaviors. Prenatal stress was significantly associated with ASD-related behaviors.
Key Numbers
172 Black mother-child pairs; cannabis not significant; prenatal stress significant
How They Did This
Prospective cohort of 172 Black mother-child pairs examining prenatal cannabis use, stress, and child ASD behaviors.
Why This Research Matters
Black mothers are understudied in prenatal cannabis research. Stress, not cannabis, was the significant predictor.
The Bigger Picture
Growing evidence that prenatal cannabis alone may not be an independent autism risk factor.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small sample. Dimensional ASD measurement. Self-reported cannabis use.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would larger studies confirm the null finding?
- ?Could stress reduction be more beneficial than cannabis cessation?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Prenatal cannabis was not associated with ASD behaviors in this Black cohort
- Evidence Grade:
- Prospective cohort but small sample.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2024.
- Original Title:
- Prenatal Cannabis Use and Offspring Autism-Related Behaviors: Examining Maternal Stress as a Moderator in a Black American Cohort.
- Published In:
- Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 54(6), 2355-2367 (2024)
- Authors:
- Nutor, C, Dunlop, A(2), Sadler, O, Brennan, P A
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05597
Evidence Hierarchy
Enrolls participants and follows them forward in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked 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 More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05597APA
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
MLA
Nutor, C, et al. "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, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-05982-z
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Prenatal Cannabis Use and Offspring Autism-Related Behaviors..." RTHC-05597. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/nutor-2024-prenatal-cannabis-use-and
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.