Exploring Peripartum Cannabis Use Among Young Sexual Minority People: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Young childbearing sexual minority (SM) people are more likely to use cannabis and to have an unintended pregnancy than their heterosexual peers; however, little is known about their perceptions and experiences of peripartum cannabis use. This qualitative study explores the relationships young pregnant and parenting SM people have with cannabis, as well as their feelings and opinions about prenatal cannabis use.

Method: Participants who identified as SM from baseline surveys of the YoungMoms study were recruited for semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 13).

A qualitative investigation of nicotine and tobacco use in young pregnant and birthing sexual minority people.

Introduction: Sexual minority youth, especially those who identify as bisexual, have higher rates of nicotine and tobacco use and are more likely to become pregnant at a younger age than heterosexual youth. The goal of this study was to investigate the nicotine and tobacco experiences and motivations of sexual minority people before and during pregnancy.

Methods: Pregnant and birthing individuals ages 16-24 who identified as a sexual minority in an online survey were recruited for semi-structured video interviews about nicotine and tobacco use.

Marijuana use among community-dwelling older adults: A population-based study.

Objectives: There is a paucity of population-level data on marijuana use and mental health and functioning in older adults.

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data (n = 910) from a well-characterized cohort, the Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) study. MYHAT is an age-stratified random sample of the population age 65 years and older from a small-town in the USA.

Associations Among Plurisexual Identity, Intimate Partner Violence, Reproductive Coercion, and Parental Monitoring in a Sample of Adolescent and Young Adult Pregnant People.

The goal of this study was to examine plurisexual identity, intimate partner violence (IPV), reproductive coercion, and parental monitoring among pregnant 13-21-year-olds. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data collected from a cohort of pregnant adolescents and young adults between October 2019 and May 2023 ( = 398). Logistic regression was completed to assess IPV and reproductive coercion as a function of plurisexual identity.

Pathways from prenatal cocaine exposure to adult substance use and behavior.

This is a report from the most recent adult follow-up of the longest running cohort study of prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE), in which women were enrolled prenatally and offspring were assessed in infancy, childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. In previous studies, PCE was linked to offspring behavior problems such as early substance use and externalizing behavior problems. The current analyses examine pathways from PCE to behavioral outcomes in offspring at the 25-year assessment.

Young black women's desired pregnancy and birthing support during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Objective: To document pregnancy and birthing experiences of young, Black pregnant women in one geographic area to make recommendations for improving young Black women's pregnancy and birthing experiences.

Methods: Participants were recruited through The YoungMoms Study (R01 DA04640101A1) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and included Black or biracial participants ages 16-23 (n = 25). Individual interviews were conducted from March 2022-July 2022 to assess pre-, peri-, and post-natal healthcare system encounters; experiences of structural and obstetric racism and discrimination in healthcare settings while obtaining prenatal care; attitudes around healthcare systems and medical professionals; effects of COVID-19 pandemic on participants lives and the impact of enacted healthcare policies in their perinatal experience; substance use changes during pregnancy; and coping mechanisms for stress.

Experiences of postpartum mental health sequelae among black and biracial women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The objective of this study was to qualitatively examine coping mechanisms and desired supports in pregnant and birthing Black and Biracial adolescent and young adult women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Black and Biracial participants ages 16-23 were recruited for virtual individual semi-structured interviews. Participants (n = 25) were asked about pre- and post-natal experiences with the healthcare system, effects of the pandemic, and participants' experiences of or desires for ideal care within the healthcare system.

Change in marijuana use from adolescence to young adulthood and its relation to gestational alcohol and marijuana exposure.

Introduction: Many studies have examined changes in marijuana use across adolescence, but few have examined factors associated with transitions from adolescence to young adulthood. We examined prenatal exposures to alcohol and marijuana and adolescent risk and protective factors that best distinguished among abstinence, continuity, or cessation of marijuana use from 16 to 22 years.

Method: Data were from the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project at the prenatal and 16- and 22-year follow-up phases.

Prenatal Substance Use Among Young Pregnant Sexual Minority People.

Sexual minority (SM) youth have higher rates of substance use and pregnancy but are absent from the prenatal substance use literature. We modeled the impact of SM identity and syndemic factors on prenatal substance use among 14- to 21-year-olds. Pregnant people completed an online survey ( = 357).

Barriers to Diagnosis of Postpartum Depression among Younger Black Mothers.

The objective of this study was to qualitatively examine coping mechanisms and desired supports in pregnant and birthing Black and biracial adolescent and young adult women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Black and biracial participants ages 16-23 were recruited for virtual individual semi-structured interviews. Participants (n=25) were asked about pre- and post-natal experiences with the healthcare system, effects of the pandemic, and participants' experiences of or desires for ideal care within the healthcare system.

Factors associated with ever using cannabidiol in a cohort of younger pregnant people.

One in four Americans have used cannabidiol (CBD) products in the past year, and use has become prevalent in many Western countries with recent deregulation from a controlled or illicit substance to an unrestricted product. CBD is also marketed to pregnant people to treat common medical conditions. However, preclinical work has linked cannabidiol exposure to embryotoxicity, as well as neuroendocrine, reproductive, and behavioral effects in offspring.

Trajectories of Return to Cigarette Smoking Up to 1 Year Postpartum Among People Who Quit Smoking During Pregnancy.

Introduction: Previous work has identified predictors of relapse to smoking postpartum among parenting people who quit during pregnancy, but less is known about the time course of postpartum relapse. The study goals were to document patterns and correlates of smoking resumption among people who quit smoking during pregnancy and were motivated to remain abstinent.

Aims And Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis among participants in a randomized controlled trial of postpartum-specific smoking relapse prevention interventions who self-reported no smoking since the quit date to delivery (n = 280).

Syndemics of Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Sample of Racially Diverse Pregnant Young Women.

Introduction: Syndemic theory posits that poor health outcomes co-occur and amplify each other in the context of harmful conditions that must be addressed simultaneously to improve health equity. This analysis identifies perinatal syndemic factors and examine how factors are related to STI in a sample of racially diverse young pregnant women.

Methods: Pregnant participants (n = 61) ages 14-21 from racially diverse backgrounds were recruited from a prenatal clinic for an ongoing longitudinal study between October 2019-February 2020.

Prenatal cocaine exposure, early cannabis use, and risky sexual behavior at age 25.

Background: Prior research on prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) indicates that exposed children experience behavioral dysregulation resulting in risky adolescent behavior including earlier initiation of cannabis use and sexual intercourse. The goal of this study was to examine the long-term effects of PCE on adult sexual behavior.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of the association between PCE and risky adult sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in 202 young adults (mean age = 27, SD = 0.

Maternal trajectories of cannabis use and young adult cannabis and nicotine dependence.

Introduction: The goals of this study were to model maternal patterns of cannabis use from one year pre-pregnancy to 16 years postpartum and to determine if different patterns of maternal cannabis use predicted offspring substance use at age 22.

Methods: Women were recruited from a prenatal clinic between 1982 and 1984. Maternal cannabis use was assessed by trained interviewers twice during pregnancy, at delivery, 8 and 18 months, 3, 6, 10, 14, and 16 years postpartum.

Cohort Study of Cannabis Use History and Perinatal Cigarette Use Among Overweight and Obese Women.

Objectives: In non-pregnant populations, cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have been linked to tobacco use and less successful quit attempts. We compared perinatal cigarette use in women across 3 groups: never used cannabis (No CU group); used cannabis but did not meet CUD criteria (CU group); history of CUD (CUD group).

Methods: Interviews with 257 pregnant women with overweight/obesity (M age = 28 years; 52% white) were conducted for a study of eating behavior in Western Pennsylvania from 2012-2016.

Perceptions of College Campus Alcohol and Sexual Violence Prevention Among Students with Disabilities: "It Was A Joke".

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand perceptions of campus-based alcohol and sexual violence (SV) prevention programming among college students with disabilities to inform future development of prevention programs appropriate for the needs of these students.

Method: The study included semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 51 college students with disabilities who reported histories of SV recruited from a larger parent study investigating a brief universal intervention to reduce alcohol related SV involving 28 campuses across Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Interviews focused on college-related experiences of prevention programming, and experiences of health, disability, alcohol use and violence victimization.

A longitudinal study of the impact of marijuana on adult memory function: Prenatal, adolescent, and young adult exposures.

More Americans are using marijuana than in previous decades but there are concerns over its long-term impact on cognitive functioning, especially memory. The literature on marijuana use and cognitive functioning is mixed, with some studies showing recovery of functioning upon abstinence from the drug and others showing long-term effects that persist. The latter seems especially true for individuals who initiate marijuana at a younger age and engage in more chronic patterns of use.

Prenatal exposure to tobacco and cannabis, early cannabis initiation, and daily dual use of combustible cigarettes and cannabis during young adulthood.

Introduction: Daily combustible cigarette use is common among cannabis users, and dual use of cigarettes and cannabis is associated with detrimental outcomes. This study addresses gaps in the literature by examining data from the prenatal and adolescent phases of a prospective, longitudinal study to predict adult daily dual use.

Methods: Young adult offspring (M age = 22.

The Role of Cognitive Stimulation in the Home and Maternal Responses to Low Grades in Low-Income African American Adolescents' Academic Achievement.

Parental involvement in education has generally been shown to foster adolescent academic achievement, yet little is known about whether two important forms of parental involvement-how parents respond to academic underachievement and how parents provide cognitive stimulation in the home-are related to academic achievement for African American adolescents. This study uses two waves of data to evaluate whether these forms of parental involvement are related to future academic achievement for low-income African American adolescents and whether there are gender differences in these associations. African American mothers and adolescents (N = 226; 48% girls) were interviewed when adolescents were ages 14 and 16.