NIH Research Highlights

The National Institutes of Health has released new information about two topics of interest to NACBH members:  Family-Based Intervention Lowers Long-Term Suicide Risk in Youth, and Prenatal Cannabis Exposure Associated With Mental Disorders in Children That Persist Into Early Adolescence.

The first, a Case Western Reserve University study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, examined the impact of a family-based intervention called the Family Check-Up (FCU), using data from three randomized controlled trials.  The FCU program was originally designed to prevent the development of substance use and conduct problems in youth by improving positive parental support, problem-solving, and communication skills.  The researchers found that adolescents in the FCU program had significantly lower suicide risk than adolescents in the control group at each year post-baseline, which lasted up to nine years following the initiation of the intervention.  Effects did not differ by race, ethnicity, or gender, suggesting the FCU program was equally effective for reducing suicide risk across various populations of youth.  Note:  It has been rated by the IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse as a “well-supported” intervention in the categories of mental health and in-home parent skill-based programs.

The second, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and health in the U.S.  Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that prenatal cannabis exposure after the first five to six weeks of fetal development is associated with attention, social, and behavioral problems that persist into early adolescence.  The findings add to an expanding body of research on the effects of cannabis during pregnancy.  Preclinical studies have shown that THC, the main psychoactive substance in cannabis, can cross the placenta and potentially affect brain development.