Contribution of maternal smoking during pregnancy and lead exposure to early child behavior problems

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with both reduced birth weight and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood behavioral outcomes, and to determine the role of birth weight in mediating such associations. The study included 489 mother–child pairs. Prenatal exposures were assessed via maternal interviews conducted on average 1 year after delivery and child behavior assessments were completed at 5–12 years of age using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Teacher Report Form (TRF). Maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with externalizing and total behavior problems according to both mother and teacher report. Maternal smoking was also associated with the following percentage increases in scores: 41% (CBCL) and 44% (TRF) for aggressive behavior and 65% (CBCL) and 47% (TRF) for attention problems. Associations with behavior problems were attenuated or no longer observed for mothers that quit smoking in early pregnancy. The proportion of the total effect of maternal smoking on behavioral outcomes explained by differences in birth weight was small and ranged from 6.6% for externalizing behavior on the CBCL to 20.1% for rule-breaking behavior on the CBCL. Our results suggest that birth weight differences explain only a small proportion of the magnitude of association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and selected behavioral outcomes.

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A Mediational Model for the Impact of Exposure to Community Violence on Early Child Behavior Problems

Child Development ◽

10.1111/1467-8624.00302 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 72 (2) ◽

pp. 639-652 ◽

Cited By ~ 118

Author(s):

L. Oriana Linares ◽

Timothy Heeren ◽

Elisa Bronfman ◽

Barry Zuckerman ◽

Marilyn Augustyn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Child Behavior ◽

Community Violence ◽

Child Behavior Problems ◽

Early Child ◽

Mediational Model ◽

Exposure To Community Violence ◽

The Impact

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Family Income Dynamics, Early Childhood Education and Care, and Early Child Behavior Problems in Norway

Child Development ◽

10.1111/cdev.12306 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 86 (2) ◽

pp. 425-440 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Henrik D. Zachrisson ◽

Eric Dearing

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Behavior Problems ◽

Child Behavior ◽

Family Income ◽

Child Behavior Problems ◽

Income Dynamics ◽

Early Child ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Education And Care

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Frequency of Parental Report of Problem Behavior in Children Decreases with Increasing Maternal Age at Delivery

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1998.82.2.395 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 82 (2) ◽

pp. 395-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jacob F. Orlebeke ◽

Dirk L. Knol ◽

Dorret I. Boomsma ◽

Frank C. Verhulst

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Child Behavior ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Maternal Age ◽

Child Behavior Problems ◽

Statistical Control ◽

Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Linear Effect ◽

Confounding Variables ◽

Child Behavior Check List

Child behavior problems were assessed in 1377 3-yr.-old twin pairs with the Child Behavior Check List from Achenbach (translated into Dutch language by Verhulst). The association between problem scores and maternal age at delivery of the twins was analyzed with statistical control for several potential confounding variables: birth weight of twins, maternal smoking during pregnancy, being breast or bottle fed and socioeconomic status. After controlling for all available confounding covariates, a significant linear effect for maternal age was left. Especially Externalizing behavior problems as well as the separate categories that constitute Externalizing, i.e., Aggressive, Oppositional, and Overactive, appeared to decrease continuously with increasing maternal age. This was true for both boys and girls as well as for first and secondborn twins. Evidence in support of a biological explanation of the association between maternal age and child behavior problems, is presented.

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