Document Detail


Causal inferences regarding prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood externalizing problems.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  17984398     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
CONTEXT: Existing research on the neurobehavioral consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has not adequately accounted for genetic and environmental confounds. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between PAE and offspring externalizing problems in a large representative sample of families in the United States using measured covariates and a quasi-experimental design to account for unmeasured genetic and environmental confounds. DESIGN: This study combines information from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The analyses statistically controlled for measured characteristics of the mothers and families and exposure to other prenatal psychoactive substances. In the primary analyses, siblings differentially exposed to prenatal alcohol were compared. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Women were recruited from the community using a stratified and clustered probability sample and were followed longitudinally. The sample included 8621 offspring of 4912 mothers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maternal report of conduct problems (CPs) and attention/impulsivity problems (AIPs) during childhood (ages 4-11 years) using standardized assessments related to psychiatric diagnoses. RESULTS: There was an association between PAE and offspring CPs that was independent of confounded genetic and fixed environmental effects and the measured covariates. The CPs in children of mothers who drank daily during pregnancy were 0.35 SD greater than those in children whose mothers never drank during pregnancy. Although AIPs were associated with PAE when comparing unrelated offspring, children whose mothers drank more frequently during pregnancy did not have more AIPs than siblings who were less exposed to alcohol in utero. Additional subsample analyses suggested that maternal polysubstance use during pregnancy may account for the associations between PAE and AIPs. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with PAE exerting an environmentally mediated causal effect on childhood CPs, but the relation between PAE and AIPs is more likely to be caused by other factors correlated with maternal drinking during pregnancy.
Authors:
Brian M D'Onofrio; Carol A Van Hulle; Irwin D Waldman; Joseph Lee Rodgers; Paul J Rathouz; Benjamin B Lahey
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Archives of general psychiatry     Volume:  64     ISSN:  1538-3636     ISO Abbreviation:  Arch. Gen. Psychiatry     Publication Date:  2007 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2007-11-06     Completed Date:  2007-12-06     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0372435     Medline TA:  Arch Gen Psychiatry     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1296-304     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. bmdonofr@indiana.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Adult
Alcohol Drinking / adverse effects*
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / epidemiology*
Child
Child, Preschool
Conduct Disorder / etiology*
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*
Risk Factors
United States
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
R01-MH070025/MH/NIMH NIH HHS

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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