ABSTRACT
Introduction:
There is scant empirical
work on
associations between current and past
cannabis use and
parenting skills in
parents of young
children. As recreational
cannabis use is now legal in nearly half of states in the U.S.,
cannabis use is becoming more ubiquitous.
Methods:
In the current study,
parents of toddler and pre-
school age
children were randomly assigned to participate in an app-based
parenting skills program that included telehealth
coaching (
Family Check-Up Online; FCU-O), with a focus on
parenting in the context of substance use. We aimed to test
associations between
adolescent-onset and current
cannabis use and
parent mental health and
parenting skills, as well as whether effects of the FCU-O on
parent mental health outcomes varied as a function of past
cannabis use. Participants were 356
parents of
children ages 1.5-5 participating in a
randomized controlled trial of the FCU-O.
Parents screened into the study if they reported current or past substance misuse or current
depressive symptoms. After completing a baseline assessment,
parents were randomly assigned to the FCU-O or
control group and completed a follow-up assessment 3 months later.
Parents retrospectively reported on the age when they initially used substances, as well as their current use.
Results:
After
accounting for current
cannabis use,
adolescent-onset
cannabis use was significantly associated with higher symptoms of
anxiety and
depression, but not with
parenting skills.
Adolescent-onset
cannabis use was found to significantly moderate the effect of the FCU-O on
parents'
anxiety symptoms. Specifically, the FCU-O was particularly effective in reducing
anxiety symptoms for
parents with
adolescent-onset regular
cannabis use, after
accounting for current
cannabis use.
Discussion:
Adolescent-onset regular
cannabis use may be a
risk factor for later
mental health challenges in
parents of
children under 5. An app-based
parenting intervention may be particularly helpful in reducing symptoms of
anxiety for
parents who used
cannabis regularly as
adolescents. The findings have significant implications for the prevention of multigenerational
risk for substance use and
mental health challenges.