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Maternal smoking during pregnancy and child behaviour problems: the Generation R Study

Sabine J Roza1, Frank C Verhulst, Vincent W V Jaddoe

  • 1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

International Journal of Epidemiology
|September 9, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy may not directly cause child behavioral issues. Other parental factors like socioeconomic status and mental health appear to be the main influences, confounding the observed associations.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal Psychology
  • Child Development
  • Behavioral Genetics

Background:

  • Maternal smoking during pregnancy is linked to offspring behavioral and emotional disorders.
  • The causal nature of this association versus confounding factors remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between parental smoking during pregnancy and child behavioral problems.
  • To determine if parental characteristics confound the relationship between prenatal smoke exposure and child behavior.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based birth cohort study included 4680 children.
  • Maternal and paternal smoking habits were self-reported during pregnancy.
  • Child behavioral problems were assessed at 18 months using the Child Behavior Checklist.

Main Results:

  • Maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of total and externalizing problems.
  • Paternal smoking was also linked to higher behavioral problem risks.
  • Adjustment for socioeconomic status and parental psychopathology fully accounted for the observed associations.

Conclusions:

  • Parental smoking occurs within a context of other risk factors for child development.
  • The association between parental smoking and child behavior may not be causal.
  • Parental psychopathology is a critical factor to consider in studies on prenatal smoke exposure and behavior.
Abstract

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