Maternal smoking and child psychological problems: disentangling causal and noncausal effects
- PMID: 20587678
- PMCID: PMC3605780
- DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-2754
Maternal smoking and child psychological problems: disentangling causal and noncausal effects
Abstract
Objective: To explore associations of maternal prenatal smoking and child psychological problems and determine the role of causal intrauterine mechanisms.
Patients and methods: Maternal smoking and child psychological problems were explored in 2 birth cohorts in Pelotas, Brazil (n = 509, random subsample), and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) in Britain (n = 6735). Four approaches for exploring causal mechanisms were applied: (1) cross-population comparisons between a high-income and a middle-income country; (2) multiple adjustment for socioeconomic and parental psychological factors; (3) maternal-paternal comparisons as a test of putative intrauterine effects; and (4) searching for specific effects on different behavioral subscales.
Results: Socioeconomic patterning of maternal prenatal smoking was stronger in the ALSPAC compared with the Pelotas cohort. Despite this difference in a key confounder, consistency in observed associations was found between these cohorts. In both cohorts, unadjusted maternal smoking was associated with greater offspring hyperactivity, conduct/externalizing problems, and peer problems but not with emotional/internalizing problems. After adjusting for confounders and paternal prenatal smoking, only the association with conduct/externalizing problems persisted in both cohorts (conduct problems in the ALSPAC cohort, odds ratio [OR]: 1.24 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-1.46], P = .005; externalizing problems in the Pelotas cohort, OR: 1.82 [95% CI: 1.19-2.78], P = .005; ORs reflect ordinal odds ratios of maternal smokers having offspring with higher scores). Maternal smoking associations were stronger than paternal smoking associations, although statistical evidence that these associations differed was weak in 1 cohort.
Conclusion: Evidence from 4 approaches suggests a possible intrauterine effect of maternal smoking on offspring conduct/externalizing problems.
Comment in
-
Tobacco smoke exposure and chronic conditions of childhood.Pediatrics. 2010 Jul;126(1):e251-2. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-1182. Epub 2010 Jun 29. Pediatrics. 2010. PMID: 20587681 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
Prenatal exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring: A meta-analysis.Reprod Toxicol. 2018 Mar;76:63-70. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2017.12.010. Epub 2017 Dec 30. Reprod Toxicol. 2018. PMID: 29294364 Review.
-
Maternal Smoking and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring: A Meta-analysis.Pediatrics. 2018 Jan;141(1):e20172465. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-2465. Pediatrics. 2018. PMID: 29288161 Review.
-
Testing Causal Effects of Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy on Offspring's Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior.Behav Genet. 2016 May;46(3):378-88. doi: 10.1007/s10519-015-9738-2. Epub 2015 Sep 1. Behav Genet. 2016. PMID: 26324285 Free PMC article.
-
Mother's environmental tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy and externalizing behavior problems in children.Neurotoxicology. 2013 Jan;34:167-74. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2012.11.005. Epub 2012 Nov 23. Neurotoxicology. 2013. PMID: 23178460 Free PMC article.
-
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and child behaviour problems: the Generation R Study.Int J Epidemiol. 2009 Jun;38(3):680-9. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyn163. Epub 2008 Sep 4. Int J Epidemiol. 2009. PMID: 18775874
Cited by
-
Exploring the differentiation of behavioural and emotional problems across childhood: A prospective longitudinal cohort study.JCPP Adv. 2023 Jun 30;3(4):e12176. doi: 10.1002/jcv2.12176. eCollection 2023 Dec. JCPP Adv. 2023. PMID: 38054063 Free PMC article.
-
Long-term adverse influence of smoking during pregnancy on height and body size of offspring at ten years old in the UK Biobank cohort.SSM Popul Health. 2023 Aug 30;24:101506. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101506. eCollection 2023 Dec. SSM Popul Health. 2023. PMID: 37692834 Free PMC article.
-
Intergenerational transmission of parental risky health behaviors in Chinese children: Are there socioeconomic status differences?Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Jan 9;9:842817. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.842817. eCollection 2022. Front Med (Lausanne). 2023. PMID: 36698800 Free PMC article.
-
Prenatal nicotine alters development of the laterodorsal tegmentum: Possible role for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and drug dependence.World J Psychiatry. 2022 Feb 19;12(2):212-235. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i2.212. eCollection 2022 Feb 19. World J Psychiatry. 2022. PMID: 35317337 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Maternal and child genetic liability for smoking and caffeine consumption and child mental health: an intergenerational genetic risk score analysis in the ALSPAC cohort.Addiction. 2021 Nov;116(11):3153-3166. doi: 10.1111/add.15521. Epub 2021 May 10. Addiction. 2021. PMID: 33891774 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Herrmann M, King K, Weitzman M. Prenatal tobacco smoke and postnatal secondhand smoke exposure and child neurodevelopment. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2008;20:184–190. - PubMed
-
- Linnet KM, Dalsgaard S, Obel C, et al. Maternal lifestyle factors in pregnancy risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and associated behaviors: review of the current evidence. Am J Psychiatry. 2003;160:1028–1040. - PubMed
-
- Huizink AC, Mulder EJ. Maternal smoking, drinking or cannabis use during pregnancy and neurobehavioral and cognitive functioning in human offspring. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2006;30:24–41. - PubMed
-
- Stene-Larsen K, Borge AI, Vollrath ME. Maternal smoking in pregnancy and externalizing behavior in 18-month-old children: results from a population-based prospective study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009;48:283–289. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical