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Protective factors can mitigate behavior problems after prenatal cocaine and other drug exposures

Henrietta S Bada1, Carla M Bann, Toni M Whitaker

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA. hbada2@uky.edu

Pediatrics
|November 28, 2012
PubMed

Insights

High prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) and other drug use significantly increases adolescent behavior problems. Protective factors can mitigate these risks, highlighting the need for supportive interventions for drug-exposed children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Investigating the long-term behavioral effects of prenatal drug exposure, specifically high prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) combined with other drug (OD) use.
  • Examining the interplay of individual, family, and community risk and protective factors on developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the role of risk and protective factors on behavior problem trajectories in children with high PCE/polydrug exposure.
  • To analyze the impact of different levels of prenatal drug exposure on behavioral outcomes through adolescence.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 1388 children assessed up to age 15, categorizing prenatal exposure into high PCE/OD, some PCE/OD, OD/no PCE, and no PCE/no OD.
  • Utilized latent growth curve models to assess trajectories of externalizing, internalizing, total behavior, and attention problems.
  • Examined risk and protective factors at individual, family, and community levels, employing stepwise analysis and cumulative indexes.

Main Results:

  • High PCE/OD significantly predicted externalizing, total behavior, and attention problems.
  • Some PCE/OD predicted externalizing and attention problems; OD/no PCE predicted most behavior outcomes except internalizing behavior.
  • A high level of protective factors was associated with declining problem behavior scores over time, irrespective of drug exposure or risk levels.

Conclusions:

  • High PCE/OD poses a significant risk for adolescent behavior problems, but protective factors can lessen these adverse effects.
  • Clinical practice and public health initiatives should focus on bolstering protective factors and reducing risks for drug-exposed children to improve long-term outcomes.
Abstract

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