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Maternal smoking in pregnancy and externalizing behavior in 18-month-old children: results from a population-based

Kim Stene-Larsen1, Anne I H Borge1, Margarete E Vollrath1

  • 1Mr. Stene-Larsen and Dr. Vollrath are with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Department of Psychosomatics and Health Behavior; Dr. Borge is with the Psychological Institute, University of Oslo.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|February 27, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Maternal smoking of 10 or more cigarettes daily during pregnancy is linked to increased externalizing behaviors in 18-month-old children. This risk affects both boys and girls, highlighting the importance of reducing prenatal smoking.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Limited prospective studies exist on prenatal smoking's impact on young children's behavior.
  • Previous research focused on older children, leaving a gap in understanding effects in toddlers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and externalizing behaviors in 18-month-old children.
  • To determine if child's sex moderates this relationship.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (N=22,545).
  • Mothers self-reported smoking habits and child's behavior via questionnaires.
  • Logistic regression analysis identified risk factors for externalizing behaviors.

Main Results:

  • A threshold effect was observed: smoking 10+ cigarettes/day during pregnancy increased risk for externalizing behaviors (OR 1.32).
  • This association remained significant after adjusting for confounders.
  • Child's sex did not moderate the effect of prenatal smoking on behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal smoking during pregnancy elevates the risk of externalizing behavior problems in offspring at 18 months.
  • The risk pattern is consistent for both boys and girls.
  • Eliminating or reducing prenatal smoking could potentially prevent 1.75% of externalizing behavior cases.
Abstract

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