Table 5.
Agreement of Female and Male Respondents with Perceived Benefits and Harms of Marijuana Use While Pregnant and Breastfeeding
| Female Respondents (N = 316) | Male Respondents (N = 77) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strongly Disagree/Disagree (%) | Neutral (%) | Agree/Strongly Agree (%) | Strongly Disagree/Disagree (%) | Neutral (%) | Agree/Strongly Agree (%) | χ2 | |
| Using marijuana while pregnant… | |||||||
| Helps to reduce pain and discomfort | 54.5 | 19.4 | 26.1 | 26.3 | 27.6 | 46.1 | 19.97*** |
| Helps to reduce depression | 67.1 | 18.4 | 14.5 | 54.5 | 22.1 | 23.4 | 4.92 |
| Has no lasting harms for baby | 74.4 | 9.0 | 16.7 | 74.0 | 12.3 | 13.7 | 1.02 |
| Is safe because marijuana is plant-based, natural | 70.5 | 18.3 | 11.2 | 61.0 | 19.5 | 19.5 | 4.14 |
| Helps reduce morning sickness, nausea | 73.6 | 13.7 | 12.7 | 64.9 | 19.5 | 15.6 | 2.41 |
| Makes it hard for child to pay attention, learn | 17.3 | 14.7 | 68.1 | 19.5 | 22.1 | 58.4 | 3.12 |
| Lowers child’s IQ | 17.6 | 16.0 | 66.5 | 19.5 | 24.7 | 55.8 | 3.85 |
| Leads to baby being addicted to THC | 17.0 | 13.8 | 69.1 | 27.4 | 16.4 | 56.2 | 5.11 |
| Increases risk of behavioral problems | 16.1 | 12.9 | 71.1 | 14.7 | 13.3 | 72.0 | 0.09 |
| Increases risk of damage to baby’s brain | 15.2 | 11.0 | 73.8 | 12.0 | 17.3 | 70.7 | 2.48 |
| Increases risk of preterm birth | 23.3 | 11.8 | 64.9 | 25.0 | 26.3 | 48.7 | 11.43** |
| Increases risk of low birth weight | 23.0 | 11.2 | 65.8 | 25.0 | 31.6 | 43.4 | 21.87*** |
| Increases risk of pregnancy complications | 17.6 | 14.7 | 67.6 | 21.6 | 13.5 | 64.9 | 0.65 |
| Using marijuana while breastfeeding… | |||||||
| Helps to reduce pain and discomfort | 50.5 | 16.5 | 33.0 | 28.9 | 22.4 | 48.7 | 11.46** |
| Helps to reduce depression | 59.4 | 19.0 | 21.6 | 42.1 | 28.9 | 28.9 | 7.53* |
| Has no lasting harms for baby | 74.2 | 14.8 | 11.1 | 58.9 | 23.3 | 17.8 | 6.65* |
| Is safe because marijuana is plant-based, natural | 75.3 | 16.9 | 7.8 | 63.2 | 21.1 | 15.8 | 6.00* |
| Helps to increase mother’s milk supply | 73.5 | 16.5 | 10.0 | 67.1 | 30.3 | 2.6 | 10.25** |
| Helps calm the baby | 77.1 | 14.7 | 8.2 | 70.3 | 23.0 | 6.8 | 3.02 |
| Makes it hard for child to pay attention, learn | 22.7 | 14.9 | 62.3 | 28.0 | 14.7 | 57.3 | 0.96 |
| Lowers the child’s IQ | 20.6 | 17.3 | 62.1 | 25.3 | 20.0 | 54.7 | 1.42 |
| Leads to baby being addicted to THC | 18.1 | 13.9 | 68.0 | 32.4 | 23.0 | 44.6 | 14.12*** |
| Increases risk of behavioral problems | 18.2 | 11.1 | 70.7 | 28.0 | 17.3 | 54.7 | 7.06* |
| Increases risk of damage to baby’s brain | 17.0 | 12.8 | 70.2 | 25.0 | 13.2 | 61.8 | 2.69 |
*p < .050, **p < .010, ***p < .001. Of the total sample, eight participants did not identify their gender or identified as a gender other than male or female and so their responses were not included in these analyses