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Is smoking during pregnancy a risk factor for psychopathology in young children? A methodological caveat and report

John V Lavigne1, Joyce Hopkins, Karen R Gouze

  • 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Children's Memorial Hospital, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith, Child Health Research Program, Children's Memorial Research Center, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. jlavigne@childrensmemorial.org

Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|May 21, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal smoking exposure is not linked to child behavior problems when researchers account for other factors. This finding highlights the importance of controlling for various covariates in future studies on maternal smoking.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Previous research suggests a link between prenatal smoking and child psychopathology.
  • However, these studies often failed to control for confounding variables and focused on older children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between prenatal smoke exposure and behavior problems in 4-year-olds.
  • To examine effects on externalizing, internalizing behaviors, and negative temperament.
  • To determine if the association persists after controlling for covariates.

Main Methods:

  • A diverse community sample of 679 four-year-old children was assessed.
  • Data included maternal smoking during pregnancy and child behavioral outcomes.
  • Statistical analyses controlled for socioeconomic status, life stress, family conflict, maternal depression, maternal scaffolding, mother-child attachment, and child's negative affect and effortful control.

Main Results:

  • After controlling for a comprehensive set of covariates, prenatal smoking was not significantly associated with child behavior or emotional problems.
  • This suggests that previously observed associations may be attributable to confounding factors.

Conclusions:

  • The findings underscore the critical need to control for a wide range of covariates when examining the effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy.
  • Future research should adopt rigorous statistical controls to isolate the specific impact of prenatal smoke exposure.
Abstract

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