Positive Parenting in Early Childhood Buffered the Intergenerational Transmission of Cannabis Problems
Parent cannabis use predicted whether their children used cannabis at age 18, but positive parenting behavior in early childhood significantly reduced the number of cannabis use disorder symptoms in offspring.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Parent cannabis use significantly predicted offspring cannabis use at age 18, while polygenic risk scores for CUD did not. Parental positive behavior support (observed at ages 2-5) significantly buffered the effect of parent cannabis use on the number of offspring CUD symptoms, suggesting that positive parenting can provide resilience against intergenerational transmission.
Key Numbers
n=731; age 18; 50.2% female; 50% White, 28% Black, 13% Hispanic, 9% other; parent cannabis use measured 7 times; positive behavior support measured 4 times; CUD PRS formed using PRS-CSx; negative binomial logistic regression.
How They Did This
Longitudinal analysis of 731 18-year-olds from the Early Steps Multisite Study (50.2% female, racially diverse). Parent cannabis use measured at offspring ages 2-9.5, observational positive behavior support at ages 2-5. CUD symptoms assessed with SCID-IV interview. Polygenic risk scores calculated using PRS-CSx for genetically diverse samples.
Why This Research Matters
This is one of the first studies to show that a modifiable factor (positive parenting) can buffer the well-documented intergenerational transmission of cannabis use. The fact that genetics (polygenic risk) did not predict use while parenting did suggests that environmental factors may be more targetable for prevention.
The Bigger Picture
This study connects early childhood parenting interventions to adolescent substance use outcomes, suggesting that existing evidence-based parenting programs could be a pathway to reducing cannabis use disorder in the next generation.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Observational study cannot prove positive parenting caused the buffering effect. Parent cannabis use was self-reported. CUD polygenic risk scores may have limited predictive power in diverse populations. Single assessment of CUD at age 18 does not capture trajectory.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would parenting interventions for cannabis-using parents reduce offspring CUD?
- ?At what developmental stage is positive parenting most protective?
- ?Do these findings extend to other substance use disorders?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Positive parenting in early childhood buffered the intergenerational transmission of cannabis problems
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate: Well-designed longitudinal study with diverse sample, observational parenting measures, and genetic analysis, though observational design limits causal claims.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2025.
- Original Title:
- Intergenerational Transmission of Cannabis Use: Testing Genetic Risk and the Mitigating Influences of Parent Positive Behavior Support in Early Childhood.
- Published In:
- Research on child and adolescent psychopathology, 53(10), 1581-1593 (2025)
- Authors:
- Ostner, Savannah G, Clifford, Sierra, Cruz, Rick A, Tein, Jenn-Yun, Westling, Erika, Shaw, Daniel S, Brown-Iannuzzi, Jazmin L, Wilson, Melvin N, Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07286
Evidence Hierarchy
Follows a group of people over time to track how outcomes develop.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What is positive behavior support?
Positive behavior support involves warm, responsive parenting practices like praising good behavior, providing structure, and maintaining positive engagement. In this study, it was measured through direct observation of parent-child interactions at ages 2-5.
Why didn't genetic risk predict cannabis use?
The polygenic risk score for CUD did not significantly predict offspring cannabis use at 18, while parent behavior did. This may reflect that current polygenic scores have limited predictive power, or that environmental transmission (parent behavior, modeling) is more influential than genetic inheritance for cannabis use initiation.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07286APA
Ostner, Savannah G; Clifford, Sierra; Cruz, Rick A; Tein, Jenn-Yun; Westling, Erika; Shaw, Daniel S; Brown-Iannuzzi, Jazmin L; Wilson, Melvin N; Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn. (2025). Intergenerational Transmission of Cannabis Use: Testing Genetic Risk and the Mitigating Influences of Parent Positive Behavior Support in Early Childhood.. Research on child and adolescent psychopathology, 53(10), 1581-1593. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-025-01354-6
MLA
Ostner, Savannah G, et al. "Intergenerational Transmission of Cannabis Use: Testing Genetic Risk and the Mitigating Influences of Parent Positive Behavior Support in Early Childhood.." Research on child and adolescent psychopathology, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-025-01354-6
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Intergenerational Transmission of Cannabis Use: Testing Gene..." RTHC-07286. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/ostner-2025-intergenerational-transmission-of-cannabis
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.