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Emotional arousal in cocaine exposed toddlers: prediction of behavior problems

Tara M Chaplin1, Thomas Fahy, Rajita Sinha

  • 1Psychiatry Department, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA. tara.chaplin@yale.edu

Neurotoxicology and Teratology
|May 26, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) may affect children's emotional arousal. Higher arousal in toddlers was linked to fewer externalizing behaviors later, suggesting complex emotional regulation development in exposed children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Child psychology

Background:

  • Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) is linked to potential alterations in children's emotional development.
  • Understanding the impact of PCE on emotional arousal and regulation is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine emotional responses to frustration and subsequent behavior problems in toddlers with varying prenatal drug exposure.
  • To investigate the relationship between early emotional arousal and later behavioral outcomes in children exposed prenatally to cocaine.

Main Methods:

  • Emotional arousal and regulation behaviors were coded during a frustrating toy wait task in 225 toddlers (aged 2.5 years).
  • Participants included children with prenatal cocaine and other drug exposure (PCE), other drug exposure (NCE), and no drug exposure (NDE).
  • Behavioral problems were assessed up to age 5.5 years.

Main Results:

  • A trend indicated PCE toddlers exhibited greater agitated emotional arousal compared to NCE and NDE toddlers.
  • PCE boys sought more caregiver references during the task than NDE boys.
  • Elevated agitated arousal at 2.5 years correlated with decreased externalizing behaviors by age 5.5.

Conclusions:

  • Findings suggest a connection between prenatal cocaine exposure and altered emotional arousal and regulation.
  • Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay between emotion and psychopathology risk in exposed youth.
Abstract

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