Evidence is now showing (Reuters Health reports) that the children of mothers who smoked, during pregnancy, are more likely to have behavior problems than the children of those mothers who did not.
The same study shows that the frequency of smoking is also correlated with developmental outcomes of the children in later years; that’s been shown in other studies! This information came from the study’s senior author – University of Leicester, U.K.
This study, … was designed to eliminate the other variables which could have caused some of these problems …. Genetics, parenting techniques, … for instance, Harold and his colleagues write in JAMA Psychiatry that mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have parenting styles that condone acting out.
For the new analysis, the researchers pulled together data from three studies from New Zealand, the UK and the U.S. that asked women whether or not they smoked cigarettes during pregnancy. Parents and teachers then reported on children’s conduct problems – such as getting in fights or having difficulty paying attention – between age four and 10.
The analysis also compared children who were raised by adoptive mothers to children who were raised by their biological mothers in an effort to tease out the influence of genetics and parenting styles on any link between prenatal smoking and behavior.
While the new study cannot prove smoking in pregnancy caused the behavior problems, Harold told Reuters Health it helps rule out some other potential explanations.
This information was passed on by: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, 625 Slaters Lane Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314
Obviously, as more and more mothers smoke marijuana, knowing that the more recent strains have many times more THC content, more and a myriad of new problems are expected – behaviorial, psychologican, emotional, as well as physical.
