Journal of Psychiatric Research
Volume 171, March 2024, Pages 142-151
Author links open overlay panel Abay Woday Tadesse ac
, Berihun Assefa Dachew a
, Getinet Ayano a
, Kim Betts a
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.01.045Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
It is plausible that exposure to cannabis in-utero could be associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during childhood and adolescence; however, mixed results have been reported. This study investigated whether there is an association between prenatal cannabis use and ADHD symptoms and ASD in offspring using a systematic review and meta-analysis methodology.
A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, Psych-Info, and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies. The study protocol has been preregistered in the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42022345001), and the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. An inverse variance weighted random effect meta-analysis was conducted to pool the overall effect estimates from the included studies.
Fourteen primary studies, consisting of ten on ADHD and four on ASD, with a total of 203,783 participants, were included in this study. Our meta-analysis underscores an increased risk of ADHD symptoms and/or disorder [β = 0.39: 95 % CI (0.20–0.58), I2 = 66.85 %, P = 0.001)] and ASD [RR = 1.30: 95 % CI (1.03–1.64), I2 = 45.5 %, P = 0.14] associated with in-utero cannabis exposure in offspring compared to their non-exposed counterparts. Additionally, our stratified analysis highlighted an elevated risk of ADHD symptoms [β = 0.54: 95 % CI (0.26–0.82)] and a marginally significant increase in the risk of diagnostic ADHD among exposed offspring compared to non-exposed counterparts [RR = 1.13, 95 % CI (1.01, 1.26)].
This study indicated that maternal prenatal cannabis exposure is associated with a higher risk of ADHD symptoms and ASD in offspring.
Living with both ADHD and anxiety can significantly impact daily functioning, academic/career performance, and social…
Kids with ADHD often struggle with impulse control and reading social cues, which can hinder…
Research has demonstrated bidirectional associations between these conditions, specifically highlighting the prevalence of diabetes mellitus…
In today’s digital age, data breaches are an unfortunate reality, with millions of pieces of…
Living with ADHD, bipolar disorder, or both isn’t just a personal challenge—it ripples into your…
Understanding the potential link between ADHD and the development of misanthropic attitudes is crucial for…