3-229 - Prenatal Tobacco Exposure: Investigating Pathways to Risk for Neurobehavioral and Externalizing Behavior Outcomes

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Prenatal tobacco exposure (TE) is an established risk factor for the atypical neurobehavior and the externalizing problems. Developmental pathways to this risk are poorly understood, but have significant implications for intervention. The four papers in this symposium examine different pathways to risk using prospective designs and careful measurement of TE. Paper one examines the role of TE in infant neurobehavior during the first month and epigenetic regulation of the placental glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) as a potential mediator. Evidence was found of partial mediation by methylation of the NR3C1 promoter CpG3 in predicting infant self-regulation and need for handling. Paper two examines the role of infant negative affect as a mediator of risk for externalizing at 16 months. Infant negative affect was associated with externalizing; however, the indirect pathway from TE to externalizing was via maternal hostility. Paper three investigates the association between TE and behavior problems at 24 months. Child language development and maternal psychopathology at 15 months was found to mediate the association between TE and child behavior problems at 24 months. Paper four explores the mediating role of infant temperament between TE and maternal stress and working memory, an important aspect of self-regulation at 5 years of child age. Both prenatal stress and TE were predictive of poor working memory, but the relation of prenatal stress to working memory was partially mediated by infant irritable temperament. Together, these papers investigate diverse pathways from TE to negative child outcomes and suggest influences by both child and parent factors.

Sub Unit

• Developmental Psychopathology

Chair

• Stephanie Godleski, University at Buffalo

Individual Presentations

• Maternal Smoking and Trajectories of Infant Neurobehavior: Epigenetic Regulation of Placental NR3C1 as a Potential Mechanism - Presenting Author: Laura R Stroud, Brown Medical School; George D. Papandonatos, Brown University; Amy Lynn Salisbury, Women & Infant Hospital; Lorena Lopez, Brown University; Maureen G. Phipps, Brown University; Marilyn A. Huestis, National Institutes of Health; Raymond Niaura, American Legacy Foundation; James F. Padbury, Brown University; Carmen Marsit, Dartmouth University; Barry M Lester, Brown University

• Prenatal Cigarette Exposure and Maternal Hostility: Impact on Child Negative Affect and Child Externalizing Behavior - Presenting Author: Stephanie Godleski, University at Buffalo; Rina Das Eiden, SUNY - Buffalo; Craig R Colder, SUNY Buffalo; Pamela Schuetze, Buffalo State College

• Child Language and Maternal Psychopathology Mediate Effects of Prenatal Tobacco Exposure on Behavior Regulation at 2 years - Presenting Author: Claire D Coles, Emory Univ Sch of Med; Julie A. Kable, Emory University School of Medicine; Mary Ellen E Lynch, Emory University

• Pathways from Prenatal Tobacco and Stress Exposure to Child Neurobehavioral Outcome - Presenting Author: Caron A. C. Clark, Univ of Arizona; T. Caitlin Vasquez-O'Brien, Illinois College; Desiree de Jong, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Kimberly Andrews Espy, University of Arizona; Lauren S Wakschlag, Northwestern University