Bad behaviour linked to smoking mothers
Jan 10, 2006
SMOKING cigarettes is probably the number one cause of adverse outcomes for babies born prematurely, babies born too small, babies who die before they can be born at all. Most of the effects on such babies have been documented.
By Sandra Lucky
SMOKING cigarettes is probably the number one cause of adverse outcomes for babies born prematurely, babies born too small, babies who die before they can be born at all. Most of the effects on such babies have been documented.
Recently, another research linked a mother’s smoking habit to the child’s learning disorders, behavioural problems and relatively low IQs. Women who smoke in pregnancy may raise the risk of their child displaying anti-social behaviour, researchers say.
A team at the Institute of Psychiatry, in London, sent questionnaires to the parents of 723 identical twins and 1,173 non-identical twins. The parents were asked to provide information on their own smoking habits and on their children’s behaviour.
Behaviour was classed as anti-social if the child bullied others, often destroyed his or her own or others’ belongings, had a habit of stealing things, often told lies or was frequently disobedient.
A third of the mothers said they had smoked during pregnancy.
There was a “small but significant†link between maternal smoking and both unruly behaviour and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), they reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry. The average symptom scores for both increased with the number of cigarettes the mother had smoked while pregnant, the study of 1,896 twins found.
According to Dr Frank Byamugisha, a local doctor, smoking while pregnant can have lifelong effects on a baby’s brain. Recent animal studies suggest that nicotine in the womb can also programme a baby’s brain future addiction.
“By the time a baby becomes a teenager, just a few cigarettes could be enough to get him completely hooked,†he said. “The concentration of nicotine in the baby’s blood is the same as in the mother’s blood. Many people don’t realise this, but it can mean that the baby suffers from withdrawal symptoms after birthâ€, Byamugisha adds.
According to Dr Margaret Mungherera, a consultant psychiatrist, it was not clear whether the increased risk of anti-social behaviour was linked to ADHD rather than maternal smoking per se.
“ADHD is serious behavioural disorder which experts estimate may effect up to 6% of children.†Although factors other than smoking play a far bigger part in both conditions, doctors advise any pregnant woman to avoid smoking.
SMOKING cigarettes is probably the number one cause of adverse outcomes for babies born prematurely, babies born too small, babies who die before they can be born at all. Most of the effects on such babies have been documented.
Recently, another research linked a mother’s smoking habit to the child’s learning disorders, behavioural problems and relatively low IQs. Women who smoke in pregnancy may raise the risk of their child displaying anti-social behaviour, researchers say.
A team at the Institute of Psychiatry, in London, sent questionnaires to the parents of 723 identical twins and 1,173 non-identical twins. The parents were asked to provide information on their own smoking habits and on their children’s behaviour.
Behaviour was classed as anti-social if the child bullied others, often destroyed his or her own or others’ belongings, had a habit of stealing things, often told lies or was frequently disobedient.
A third of the mothers said they had smoked during pregnancy.
There was a “small but significant†link between maternal smoking and both unruly behaviour and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), they reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry. The average symptom scores for both increased with the number of cigarettes the mother had smoked while pregnant, the study of 1,896 twins found.
According to Dr Frank Byamugisha, a local doctor, smoking while pregnant can have lifelong effects on a baby’s brain. Recent animal studies suggest that nicotine in the womb can also programme a baby’s brain future addiction.
“By the time a baby becomes a teenager, just a few cigarettes could be enough to get him completely hooked,†he said. “The concentration of nicotine in the baby’s blood is the same as in the mother’s blood. Many people don’t realise this, but it can mean that the baby suffers from withdrawal symptoms after birthâ€, Byamugisha adds.
According to Dr Margaret Mungherera, a consultant psychiatrist, it was not clear whether the increased risk of anti-social behaviour was linked to ADHD rather than maternal smoking per se.
“ADHD is serious behavioural disorder which experts estimate may effect up to 6% of children.†Although factors other than smoking play a far bigger part in both conditions, doctors advise any pregnant woman to avoid smoking.