Mums who drink early in pregnancy ‘more likely to have unruly kids’
March 22nd, 2011 - 12:45 pm ICT by ANILondon, Mar 22 (ANI): Teenagers whose mothers drank early in pregnancy are more likely to become unruly, aggressive and badly behaved, researchers claim.
According to their study, the risk of anti-social behaviour rose threefold among 16-year-olds whose mothers drank as little as one alcoholic drink a day during the first three months of pregnancy, reports the Daily Mail.
The U.S. study of almost 600 youngsters analysed rates of ‘conduct disorder’ at regular intervals from their birth.
Conduct disorder was defined as a pattern of behavioural problems that included aggression towards people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness, theft and serious rule-breaking.
The risk of ‘lifetime’ bad behaviour patterns went up threefold with one or more drinks a day compared with drinking less, or abstaining. There was no extra risk linked to drinking at a later stage in the pregnancy.
Dr Cynthia Larkby, from the University of Pittsburgh, monitored 592 children from birth to age 16, half of whom were African-American with the other half white.
Information was collected about the drinking habits of the children’s mothers, including quantity, frequency and the pattern of alcohol use.
“From a clinical perspective, prenatal alcohol exposure should be considered as another risk for conduct disorder,” the researchers said.
The study appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (ANI)
- Heavy, not modest, drinkers' babies more likely to have birth defects - Oct 16, 2010
- Male foetuses more vulnerable to alcohol - Mar 24, 2011
- Is Wine Safe During Pregnancy? - Aug 27, 2010
- Anxious mums-to-be 'more likely to have smaller babies' - Oct 28, 2009
- Heavy drinking during pregnancy 'ups premature birth risk' - Apr 11, 2011
- Pregnant women who drink a glass of wine daily 'have better kids' - Jun 18, 2010
- Alcohol in pregnancy linked to child behaviour problems - Nov 24, 2009
- Mums abused in childhood more likely to have low-birth weight babies - Mar 30, 2011
- Men living in low-income neighborhoods 'drink more than women' - Mar 04, 2011
- Kids of older women 'vulnerable to effects of prenatal alcohol exposure' - Jul 21, 2010
- Smoking, booze during pregnancy may raise child's cancer risk - Sep 19, 2010
- 'Diet' soft drinks linked to premature births - Aug 19, 2010
- 4 in 5 Oz mothers drink during pregnancy - Jun 21, 2010
- Light drinking won't harm your unborn baby, say researchers - Oct 06, 2010
- Premature kids likely to face behavioural problems - Dec 06, 2011
Tags: 16 year olds, academy of child and adolescent psychiatry, aggression, alcoholic drink, american academy of child and adolescent psychiatry, bad behaviour, behaviour patterns, behavioural problems, child and adolescent psychiatry, clinical perspective, conduct disorder, daily mail, first three months, first three months of pregnancy, months of pregnancy, prenatal alcohol exposure, social behaviour, university of pittsburgh, unruly kids, youngsters