Date of Award
6-15-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Organizational Unit
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology
First Advisor
Pilyoung Kim
Second Advisor
Jenalee Doom
Third Advisor
Elysia Davis
Fourth Advisor
Jennifer Greenfield
Fifth Advisor
Torri Metz
Keywords
Cannabis, Prenatal cannabis use, Parental brain, Cannabis use disorder (CUD), Functional response
Abstract
As legalization of cannabis and cannabinoids spreads in the United States, access and use of cannabis during the prenatal period has increased. There is limited knowledge on the effects of prenatal cannabis use on the parental brain. One way to identify potential effects of cannabis on parenting is through studying parenting brain functions and behavior. Cannabis use disorder (CUD) has been shown to be associated with lower positive parenting and lower sensitivity to infants, but it is unclear by what mechanisms. The following two studies address this gap in knowledge by examining the association between cannabis use during the prenatal period and functional response to infant related stimuli. Study One examines the association between cannabis use during the prenatal period, functional response to infant cries, and explores behavioral interactions between gestation parent and child. This study found that cannabis use over the prenatal period was associated with increased neural response to infant cry sounds particularly within parenting neural networks for emotion regulation, theory of mind, and affective processing. Study Two examines the association between cannabis use during the prenatal period, functional response to infant picture, and explores behavioral interactions between gestation parent and child. This study found that cannabis use over the prenatal period was associated with increased neural response to other (unknown) infant pictures, particularly within parenting neural networks for reward and salience. These studies suggest that cannabis use during the prenatal period affects functional responses to infant important for parenting behavior.
Copyright Date
6-2024
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Shannon Powers
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
138 pgs
File Size
1.0 MB
Recommended Citation
Powers, Shannon, "Cannabis Exposure During Pregnancy and Neural Mechanisms of Parenting: Assessing Neural Responses to Infant Cues and Parenting Outcomes" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2416.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2416
Included in
Developmental Psychology Commons, Maternal and Child Health Commons, Neurosciences Commons, Other Psychology Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Substance Abuse and Addiction Commons