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Published on: August 25, 2014
Cocaine-exposed infant behavior during Still-Face: risk factor analyses
Marilyn W Lewis1, Gary Phillips, Melissa Bowser
1College of Social Work, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. lewis.998@osu.edu
Insights
Prenatal cocaine exposure did not show male infants having greater socioemotional interaction disruptions. Caregiver vocalizations varied, but the hypothesis of higher risk for male cocaine-exposed infants was not supported.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) is linked to developmental risks.
- Infant-caregiver interactions are crucial for socioemotional development.
- Gender may modulate the effects of PCE on infant behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if 6-month-old male infants with PCE exhibit greater socioemotional interaction disruptions.
- To examine gender-specific effects of PCE on infant-caregiver interactions during the Still-Face paradigm.
Main Methods:
- Risk factor analyses were employed.
- The Still-Face test was used to assess infant-caregiver socioemotional interactions.
- Infant behavior (toy looking, environmental scanning) and caregiver vocalizations were measured.
Main Results:
- Non-exposed infants spent more time looking at toys than exposed infants.
- Non-exposed females scanned the environment more than non-exposed males.
- Caregivers vocalized more to cocaine-exposed infants but reduced vocalizations more with cocaine-exposed females.
Conclusions:
- The hypothesis that male infants exposed to cocaine prenatally are at higher risk was not supported at 6 months.
- An exposure by gender interaction was observed in caregiver vocalizations.
- Further research is needed to determine the age at which this interaction emerges.
Abstract:
Prenatal cocaine exposure and the role of gender were evaluated using risk factor analyses to determine whether 6-month-old cocaine-exposed male infants demonstrated greater disruptions in infant-caregiver socioemotional interactions during a Still-Face test. Overall, non-cocaine-exposed infants spent more time looking at toys, compared with cocaine-exposed infants; nonexposed female infants spent more time scanning the environment, compared with nonexposed male infants. When caregiver behavior during the Still-Face was evaluated, differences emerged in amount of time the caregiver spent vocalizing to the infant. She vocalized more to a cocaine-exposed infant compared with a nonexposed one; she reduced vocalizing more during the test if the cocaine-exposed infant was female. An exposure by gender interaction emerged in the amount of change in caregiver vocalizations; however, the overarching hypothesis that male cocaine-exposed infants are at higher risk than nonexposed male, nonexposed female, and cocaine-exposed female infants was not supported. Because this interaction was evident in this cohort at 24 months, future research is needed to determine at what age an interaction begins to emerge in this cohort.
