Many health organizations recommend that mothers avoid cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding because they are concerned about exposing infants to Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in cannabis. Yet, data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control demonstrate that a small percentage of mothers continue to use cannabis despite warnings. The frequency of cannabis use is an important variable because frequent use increases THC exposure. The present study examined two variables related to the frequency of cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding: health problems and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). We examined a possible mediation effect of health problems on the relationship between ACEs and the frequency of cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Our sample was entirely comprised of 1,343 women who used cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding. We collected data online. The women were recruited from a Facebook group that supports pregnant and breastfeeding mothers who use cannabis. To be included, participants needed to be at least 18 years old and to have used cannabis while pregnant or breastfeeding. The sample was 79% White, 8% Hispanic, and 14% Black, and 1,199 currently resided in the United States, 76 in Canada, 11 in the United Kingdom, and the rest resided in 13 other countries. Ninety-three percent of the sample reported at least one ACE, and 59% reported 4 or more. Ninety-six percent reported that they were using cannabis to treat a health problem, and the number of health problems ranged from 0 to 8. Two mediation analyses found that the total number of ACEs increased the risk of health problems, which increased the frequency of cannabis use. ACE total was not significantly related to the frequency of use once health problems were accounted for. ACEs are related to the frequency of cannabis use in pregnant and breastfeeding women, but indirectly through trauma’s impact on health problems. These findings suggest that practitioners might be able to lower the frequency of cannabis if they directly address health problems.

中文翻译：

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健康问题介导了不良童年经历对孕妇和哺乳期妇女吸食大麻频率的影响


许多卫生组织建议母亲在怀孕和哺乳期间避免使用大麻，因为她们担心婴儿会接触大麻中的精神活性物质 Δ-9-四氢大麻酚 (THC)。然而，美国疾病控制中心收集的数据表明，一小部分母亲不顾警告继续使用大麻。大麻使用频率是一个重要变量，因为频繁使用会增加 THC 暴露。本研究调查了与怀孕和母乳喂养期间吸食大麻频率相关的两个变量：健康问题和不良童年经历（ACE）。我们研究了健康问题对 ACE 与怀孕和母乳喂养期间大麻使用频率之间关系的可能中介作用。我们的样本完全由 1,343 名在怀孕和哺乳期间使用大麻的女性组成。我们在线收集数据。这些女性是从一个支持使用大麻的怀孕和哺乳母亲的 Facebook 群组中招募的。参与者必须年满 18 岁，并且在怀孕或哺乳期间使用过大麻。样本中 79% 是白人、8% 是西班牙裔、14% 是黑人，其中 1,199 人目前居住在美国，76 人居住在加拿大，11 人居住在英国，其余居住在其他 13 个国家。 93% 的样本报告至少有 1 个 ACE，59% 的样本报告有 4 个或更多。 96% 的人报告说，他们使用大麻来治疗健康问题，健康问题的数量从 0 到 8 不等。两项中介分析发现，ACE 总数增加了健康问题的风险，从而增加了出现健康问题的频率。大麻的使用。 一旦考虑到健康问题，ACE 总量与使用频率没有显着相关。 ACE 与孕妇和哺乳期妇女使用大麻的频率有关，但通过创伤对健康问题的影响而间接产生。这些发现表明，如果从业者直接解决健康问题，他们可能能够降低吸食大麻的频率。