Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Conduct Problems: A Short Review of the Current Literature

Several studies have indicated an association between smoking during pregnancy and offspring externalizing disorders, Conduct Disorder (CD), and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD); however, it is uncertain whether this relationship is causal. We conducted a narrative review to determine if the literature supports a causal role of maternal smoking during pregnancy on offspring externalizing disorders diagnosis.

Articles were sought in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus bibliographical databases (end-of-search date: February 2, 2024). We included any study that investigated maternal smoking during pregnancy and CD and/or ODD. Participants in the included studies were mothers and their offspring.

The majority of studies supported an association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and CD. Studies on ODD reported inconsistent findings, and no strong conclusions on causality could be made.

Further studies are needed to evaluate the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy, CD, and ODD. The direct effects and those mediated by factors coexisting with maternal smoking remain to be elucidated.