Mental health

For my research proposal, I’d like to explore the relation between Prenatal Marijuana exposure and cannabis use in offspring. I chose this topic because unfortunately, I see more women using marijuana during pregnancy under the assumption that there will be no negative side effects to the offspring. Also, we are moving towards the legalization of marijuana in the US this information should be more accessible to women so that they are able to make educated decisions for themselves and their child.

Article 1: “Prenatal marijuana exposure predicts marijuana use in young adulthood”
The purpose of this study was to continue following the development in marijuana use of the offspring from the mother’s of a previous study conducted by the same researchers. The previous study followed the offspring up until the age of 14, this study reports the effects of prenatal marijuana exposure in young adulthood. The findings were particularly important due to the recent trend of legalizing marijuana. This is an explanatory study as it looks to expand on previous study conducted to gain greater depth and new insights about this topic. I would say this is a longitudinal study because the same variables are being observed over a long period of time.
As stated before, this is a continuation of a previous study so it is appropriately placed in the context of previous research. It is important to know the longer-term effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on the offspring.
This study is a group subject design and uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative data and is a correlational study.
The data for this study come from the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development (MHPCD) study at the University of Pittsburgh. Participants were recruited from the prenatal clinic at Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. Recruitment took place from 1982 to 1985. The combined cohort was 829 women, with 48% overlap between the alcohol and marijuana cohorts. The birth cohort consisted of 763 live singleton infants. Loss of participants from the enrolled cohort of 829 women resulted from 8 mothers who refused the delivery assessment, 16 pairs were lost to follow-up, and 21 pairs moved out of the area. Other exclusions included 18 offspring due to early fetal death, 2 offspring due to multiple gestation birth, and one offspring was placed for adoption and could not be followed. At the 22-year phase, 608 offspring participated in the assessment, representing 80% of the birth cohort. Of the 155 who did not participate, 30 refused, 3 had been adopted and could not be located, 18 were institutionalized in either jail or a rehabilitation facility, 56 were lost to follow-up, 29 moved out of the area, 11 died, and 8 could not participate due to low cognitive functioning. In addition, 14 offspring had incomplete data and 5 were excluded because they reported that they had not used marijuana but tested positive for the substance on a urine screen. This resulted in a final sample size of 589, representing 77% of the birth cohort.

Article 2: “Developmental pathways from prenatal marijuana exposure to Cannabis Use Disorder in young adulthood”
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the relationship between prenatal marijuana exposure and off spring marijuana use at age 22, the age when use of marijuana and CUD peak. This is an explanatory study that seeks to gain further insight based on a study that was done prior to this one and is a longitudinal cohort study.
As stated before, this is a continuation of a previous study so it is appropriately placed in the context of previous research. However, this study seeks to explore the relation between PME and CUD at a very specific and important age as it relates to CUD.
This study is a group subject design and uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative data and is a correlational study.
At birth, 763 live singleton infants were assessed. Eight mothers refused the delivery assessment, 16 were lost to follow-up, and 21 had moved out of the area. Other exclusions included 18 from fetal or perinatal death, one child who was placed for adoption, and two sets of twins. Only mother-child pairs who completed the birth assessment were followed longitudinally. At the 22-year phase, 608 offspring were assessed, representing 80% of the birth cohort. Of the 155 non-participants, 30 refused the assessment, 3 had been adopted, 18 were in jail or a rehabilitation facility, 56 were lost to follow-up, 29 moved out of the area, 11 died, and 8 could not participate due to low cognitive functioning. Eighteen individuals were excluded for the purposes of this analysis: 14 did not complete the instrument used to assess CUD and 4 initiated marijuana prior to the assessment of depressive symptoms at age 10, precluding the examination of depression as a potential mediator. The final sample size was 590 offspring, 77% of the birth cohort

Article 3: Prenatal marijuana exposure contributes to the prediction of marijuana use at age 14
This study seeks to determine the effects of PME on the age of onset and frequency of marijuana use among 14 year-olds. This is an explanatory study as it allows for increased understanding about this topic. This longitudinal cohort study, women were recruited in their fourth prenatal month. Women and children were followed throughout pregnancy and at multiple time-points into adolescence.
This study is appropriately placed as it has already been determined that there are effects from PME that affect the offspring in many ways. This study is more specific as it evaluates the effects at a specific age.
This is a group subject design that uses a mixed methods approach and is a correlational study.
Recruitment was from a hospital-based prenatal clinic. The women ranged in age from 18 to 42, half were African American and half Caucasian, and most were of lower socio-economic status. The women were generally light to moderate substance users during pregnancy and subsequently. At 14 years, 580 of the 763 offspring–mother pairs (76%) were assessed. A total of 563 pairs (74%) was included in this analysis.

Article 4: “Effects of prenatal cigarette and marijuana exposure on drug use among offspring”
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether maternal cigarette smoking and marijuana use during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of initiation and daily/regular use of such substances among the offspring. This is an explanatory study as it allows for increased understanding about this topic. This was an on-going longitudinal study.
This study is appropriately placed as it has already been determined that there are effects from PME that affect the offspring in many ways. This study is more specific as it evaluates the effects at a specific age.
This is a group subject design that uses a mixed methods approach and is a correlational study.
Of the 698 pregnant women who were interviewed, a cohort of 190 children was selected for follow-up studies beyond birth. Of these 190 participants who were initially selected for follow-up studies, 152 adolescents ranging in age from 16 to 21 years inclusive were available to participate in the present study. Of the remaining 38 not tested, most involved families had moved out of the Ottawa area. In addition, two families withdrew from the study and a few adolescents were unavailable for testing. No differential loss of participants with respect to drug variables occurred. The final sample of 152 adolescents consisted of 85 males and 67 females, with five 16-year olds, seventy-seven 17-year olds, forty-two 18-year olds, nineteen 19-year olds, seven 20-year olds, and two 21-year olds.

Article 5: “Marijuana use and pregnancy: prevalence, associated characteristics, and birth outcomes”
The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, behaviors, and birth outcomes associated with marijuana use in pregnancy. This is an explanatory study as it allows for increased understanding about this topic. This is a cross-sectional study.
This study is appropriately placed as it has already been determined that there are effects from PME that affect the offspring in many ways. However, this study is more broad and is seeking to evaluate general effects of PME.
This is a group subject design that uses a mixed methods approach and is a correlational study.
This was a retrospective cohort from a university-based prenatal care clinic from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. A total of three hundred and ninety-six patients initiated prenatal care in the time frame for whom adequate records were available for analysis. At intake, 116 patients (29.3 %) screened positive for marijuana either by self-report or urine toxicology.