Meaningful differences in maternal smoking behaviour during pregnancy: implications for infant behavioural vulnerability

Abstract

Pathways from pregnancy smoking to offspring behaviour are complex and multi-determined. These findings suggest that both exposure and maternal characteristics associated with pregnancy smoking status contribute to offspring behavioural patterns. Research that characterises differences between quitters and persistent smokers and examines the role of these differences in prediction of early vulnerabilities and problems in adaptation over time will be important for elucidating these pathways.

Longitudinal cohort survey of women's smoking behaviour and attitudes in pregnancy: study methods and baseline data

“…Current smokers entering our cohort were significantly younger, less educated and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds than recent ex-smokers. These findings are similar to those from previous UK cohorts, which reported that women who smoke before or during pregnancy are more likely to be less than 25 years of age,10 12 more likely to have left education at a younger age and gained fewer formal qualifications,10 13 36 37 and to be from lower socioeconomic groups than non-smokers 10–13 36 37…”

Smoking in Pregnancy and Parenting Stress: Maternal Psychological Symptoms and Socioeconomic Status as Potential Mediating Variables

“…Furthermore, the association between cigarette smoking and psychiatric disorders in general has been documented (e.g., Degenhardt & Hall, 2001;Kahler et al, 2009 ;Saban & Flisher, 2010) and lends support to the interpretation that smoking in pregnancy, a risky behavior likely to affect infant health, may be a marker for psychological distress in mothers, particularly for those who smoke more heavily. This interpretation is consistent with but more focused than the suggestion by Pickett et al (2008) that smoking in pregnancy may be a marker for psychosocial difficulties of these mothers or that of Hutchinson, Pickett, Green, and Wakschlag (2010) that it may be a marker for "intergenerational processes associated with both the tendency to smoke and to have offspring with behavioural and cognitive problems . .…”

“…When indicators of SES are examined, results show that women who smoke in pregnancy are more likely to be from low-income families, to be less well educated, and to live in less-advantaged neighborhoods (e.g., Higgins et al, 2009;Kandel, Griesler, & Schaffran, 2009;Maughan et al, 2004;Pickett et al, 2008;Sellstrom, Arnoldsson, Bremberg, & Hjern, 2008;Weaver, Campbell, Mermelstein, & Wakschlag, 2008 ). Some studies also show that pregnancy smokers are more likely to be single (Flick et al, 2006;Pickett et al, 2008;Sellstrom et al, 2008;Wakschlag et al, 2003 ).…”

“…Some studies also show that pregnancy smokers are more likely to be single (Flick et al, 2006;Pickett et al, 2008;Sellstrom et al, 2008;Wakschlag et al, 2003 ). In their study of levels of stress in relation to smoking status, Weaver et al reported that stress related to SES was a better predictor of whether women continued to smoke during pregnancy than other potential stress factors.…”

How many infants are temperamentally difficult? Comparing norms from the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire to a population sample of UK infants

“…The RITQ is also used in many large-scale longitudinal studies such as the Millennium Cohort Study (Pickett, Wood, Adamson, DeSouza, & Wakschlag, 2008), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care (Bradley & Corwyn, 2008), and the Helsinki Longitudinal Temperament Study (Martin, Wisenbaker, Baker, & Huttunen, 1997). Longitudinal studies have provided evidence that temperament is associated with later development of mental disorder (Lewis & Olsson, 2011;Sayal, Heron, Maughan, Rowe, & Ramchandani, 2013), behavioral problems (Prior, Sanson, Smart, & Oberklaid, 2000), as well as cognitive (Maziade, Côté, Boutin, & Bernier, 1987), language (Taylor, Christensen, Lawrence, Mitrou, & Zubrick, 2013), and academic performance outcomes (Saudino & Plomin, 2007).…”