What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Neuroprotection, Mental Health.

Where was this research published?

Published in Journal of child & adolescent trauma on June 1, 2026.

Parental cannabis use linked to infant developmental delays

Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Resilience, Paternal Social Health, Infant Developmental Milestone Achievement during First Year of Life.

Journal of child & adolescent trauma • June 1, 2026 • Moderately Relevant

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AI Summary

This research investigated how maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), maternal resilience, and parental drug use affect infant developmental milestones during the first year of life. The study tracked 107 mother-infant pairs from a New Jersey hospital between 2020-2022, measuring infant progress in motor, social, language, and cognitive development at 2-, 4-, 6-, and 12-month checkups. Researchers found that paternal marijuana use significantly decreased the likelihood of infants meeting developmental milestones at 2 months, particularly for social and emotional development, suggesting that parental cannabis use may have measurable effects on early infant development.

The findings revealed a complex relationship between parental factors and infant outcomes. Lower maternal resilience was associated with reduced odds of infants meeting all developmental milestones by 4 months, while paternal mental health challenges also correlated with developmental delays. Interestingly, the results showed a counterintuitive finding: paternal cannabis use increased the odds of meeting all developmental milestones at 4 months, though this conflicts with the 2-month results and warrants further investigation. Notably, maternal ACEs alone were not significantly associated with infant developmental achievement, suggesting that resilience and other protective factors may buffer against these risks.

This study highlights the importance of understanding how parental substance use and mental health intersect with early child development. The research suggests that interventions targeting parental mental health and substance use patterns, combined with strengthening maternal resilience, may be critical for supporting healthy infant development in vulnerable populations. Future research should clarify the mechanisms behind these associations and explore whether different patterns of use or timing of exposure produce different outcomes.

📄 Original Abstract

Maternal risk factors, such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and a parental history of drug use negatively impact offspring health. Maternal resiliency mitigates these risks. However, the interplay and impact of these factors on infant developmental milestones (DM) achievement during the first year of life is understudied. To investigate the association between maternal ACEs, maternal resiliency, and parental social history on infant developmental milestones (DM) achievement. 107 mother-infant pairs from a New Jersey urban tertiary level academic hospital Jersey between 2020 and 2022. Participants were approached between their 2nd trimester of pregnancy and infants' 2-month well visit. Maternal health and paternal history of drug use were assessed. Mothers completed the 7C's Tool survey and Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire. Infant DM achievement, including motor, social, language, and cognitive DM, were collected at 2-, 4-, 6-, and 12-months well-visits. A logistic regression model analyzed relationships between maternal ACE scores and resilience, paternal health factors, and infant DM achievement. Paternal marijuana use decreased the odds of DM achievement at 2- months (p=0.003), and social/emotional DM achievement at 2-months (p=0.005). Paternal mental health challenges have lower odds of meeting all DM achievement at 4- months (p=0.043). For every unit increase in 7C's Tool survey, with higher increase reflecting lower maternal resilience, there were lower odds of meeting all DM within 4 months (p=0.044). Paternal use of cannabis increases the odds of a child meeting all DM at 4 months (p=0.042). There was no significant association between infant DM and maternal ACEs. Our findings support growing evidence that maternal ACEs and paternal marijuana use influence infant development. Future studies should explore the influence of maternal ACEs and parental drug use on neonatal outcomes. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-025-00768-0.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Journal of child & adolescent trauma
Published: June 1, 2026
PMID: 42179401
DOI: 10.1007/s40653-025-00768-0

Authors (6)

Lily Zheng Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ USA.
Hsiao-Wei Banks MLK Community Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA USA.
Krystal Hunter Cooper Research Institute, Cooper University Hospital Camden, Camden, NJ USA.
Aubri Milano Department of Pediatrics, Cooper University Hospital Camden, Camden, NJ USA.
Leslie Abraham Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, Hershey, PA USA.
+1 more authors