Cited by 36Cannabis and Cannabinoid ResearchSubstance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesPrenatal Substance Exposure Effects

Unfazed or dazed and confused: does early adolescent marijuana use cause sustained impairments in attention and academic functioning?

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Pardini, Dustin, White, Helene R., Xiong, Shuangyan, Bechtold, Jordan, Chung, Tammy, Loeber, Rolf, Hipwell, Alison·2015·Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology

Abstract

There is some suggestion that heavy marijuana use during early adolescence (prior to age 17) may cause significant impairments in attention and academic functioning that remain despite sustained periods of abstinence. However, no longitudinal studies have examined whether both male and female adolescents who engage in low (less than once a month) to moderate (at least once a monthly) marijuana use experience increased problems with attention and academic performance, and whether these problems remain following sustained abstinence. The current study used within-individual change models to control for all potential pre-existing and time-stable confounds when examining this potential causal association in two gender-specific longitudinal samples assessed annually from ages 11 to 16 (Pittsburgh Youth Study N = 479; Pittsburgh Girls Study N = 2296). Analyses also controlled for the potential influence of several pertinent time-varying factors (e.g., other substance use, peer delinquency). Prior to controlling for time-varying confounds, analyses indicated that adolescents tended to experience an increase in parent-reported attention and academic problems, relative to their pre-onset levels, during years when they used marijuana. After controlling for several time-varying confounds, only the association between marijuana use and attention problems in the sample of girls remained statistically significant. There was no evidence indicating that adolescents who used marijuana experienced lingering attention and academic problems, relative to their pre-onset levels, after abstaining from use for at least a year. These results suggest that adolescents who engage in low to moderate marijuana use experience an increase in observable attention and academic problems, but these problems appear to be minimal and are eliminated following sustained abstinence.

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  • Other longitudinal studies argue against the strength or persistence of deficits over shorter periods, especially in studies where abstinence was carefully monitored.

    “Further, other longitudinal studies argue against the strength or persistence of deficits over shorter periods, 17,20 especially in studies where abstinence was carefully monitored.101”

    From Association of Cannabis With Cognitive Functioning in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2018) · cites this paper as [17]

    The Discussion’s Conclusions report that the effects of low-to-moderate adolescent marijuana use on attention and academic performance were likely small and did not persist after at least a year of abstinence. But the Limitations and Future Directions section says abstinence was assessed through self-reported past-year use and calls for biochemical verification; it does not support the claim that abstinence was carefully monitored. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Adolescents at risk of substance use problems may display cognitive vulnerabilities that could partially contribute to the cognitive findings, although they do not exclude additional deficits.

    “Adolescents at risk of substance use problems may display cognitive vulnerabilities, 17,[117][118][119][120] which could partially contribute to cognitive findings described here, although they do not exclude the possibility of additional deficits.”

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4 of the 57 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Bachman JG O'Malley PM Schulenberg JE Johnston LD Freedman-Doan P Messersmith EE 2008 The education-drug use connection: How successes and failures in school relate to adolescent smoking, drinking, drug use, and delinquency Taylor & Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
  2. ElSohly MA 2009 Quarterly report potency monitoring project, Report 104 December 16, 2008 Thru March 15, 2009 Oxford, Mississippi National Center for Natural Products Research Retrieved on 8/18/2014 from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/sourcefiles/UMPMC-quarterly-monitoring-report.pdf

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Authors
Pardini, D., White, H. R., Xiong, S., Bechtold, J., Chung, T., Loeber, R., & Hipwell, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (US)
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
Corresponding author
Pardini, Dustin
Venue
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
Published
2015-04-11
Volume
43
Issue
7
Pages
1203-1217
ISSN
  • 0091-0627 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-2835
OpenAlex
W2013607782
Cited by
36
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 1
FWCI
4.57
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01mh048890-05)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (T32AA007453)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH50778, MH078039, R01MH042529, R01MH050778, K01MH078039, MH 48890, MH056630, R01MH056630)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA034608, R01DA012237, DA012237, DA411018, R01DA034608)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
Keywords
adolescent cannabis use, attention deficits, academic performance, abstinence, gender differences, peer delinquency, Pittsburgh Youth Study, Pittsburgh Girls Study
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Attention, Cannabis, Child, Cognition Disorders, Educational Measurement, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Schools, Sex Factors, Adolescent Development

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