Posted on 07/14/2006 9:22:53 AM PDT by presidio9
A new study finds that unborn babies regularly exposed to cigarette smoke in the womb are much more likely to have behavioral problems as young children.
The study, detailed in current issue of the journal Child Development, is the first to show a link between smoking during pregnancy and child behavior problems in the first years of life.
The researchers found that 2-year-olds whose mothers were exposed to cigarette smoke while pregnant were nearly 12 times more likely to show clinical levels of behavioral problems compared to their unexposed peers.
The researchers looked at 93 children between their first and second birthdays. Forty-four were exposed to cigarette smoke before birth; among those exposed, nearly half of their mothers reported smoking more than half a pack a day.
As any parent will tell you, behavioral problems in toddlers are nothing new. There is even a name for it—the "terrible twos." But the behavior of toddlers exposed to cigarette smoke got progressively worse between 18 and 24 months of age compared to unexposed toddlers.
In psychology, symptoms of disruptive behavior include aggression, irritability, rule breaking and poor social skills. The exposed toddlers were significantly more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior and stubbornly refuse following directions. They were also less likely to seek out and socially interact with their mothers.
The one symptom that the exposed toddlers did not exhibit was increased irritability. This is important, the researchers say, because different components of disruptive behavior reflect functioning within different parts of the brain.
"By pinpointing which behaviors are involved, it sets the stage for the next set of studies which can more precisely characterize the relevant behaviors and their associated brain regions in exposed children," said study leader Lauren Wakschlag of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Wakschlag and her colleagues previously found a link between prenatal smoking and antisocial behavior in older youth. The new study suggests that for some children, the roots of their behavioral problems might occur before they are born.
While the study supports the theory that smoking can lead to long-term problems later in life, Wakschlag cautions that it does not prove it.
"However, our findings do move us one step closer to answering this question by generating ideas regarding what areas of the brain might be affected by exposure," she said.
Thank goodness my Mom chewed Red Man.
That didn't sound right, I'm going to hell.
Toddlers shouldn't play with matches, especially in the womb.
As the old joke starts, “Do you smoke after sex?”
Hell, they DEFINITELY shouldn't be smoking at that age. Where are there mother's when all of this is going on?
Jeez. What a bunch of peurile, hyperbolic rodomontade.
This could explain the reason why the baby boomers are so screwed up. Women didn't start smoking en masse until cigarettes begun to be manufactured in the early 1900's. I don't have any facts, but it is a viable theory. Who knew exposure to nicotine in the womb would cause the child to become a traitor?
Well, we have come a long way baby.
Now I've got Deep Purple in my head.
Pinging you to the latest "news".
This is so ridiculous that it would make me laugh if I didn't know so many idiots would believe it.
Expect the anti-smoking Nazis to demand a law requiring all females to have "no smoking" signs tattooed on their G-spots.
How does the smoke get in there?
Is this a smoking womb or a non-smoking womb?
As any parent will tell you, behavioral problems in toddlers are nothing new. There is even a name for it—the "terrible twos." But the behavior of toddlers exposed to cigarette smoke got progressively worse between 18 and 24 months of age compared to unexposed toddlers.
If this were to be so, then why is that so many people complain about how poorly behaved children of today are when compared to even a generation ago.....children of today, particularly infants and toddlers are exposed to miniscule amounts of tobacco smoke than in the past?
And another question.......how can thye determine it is ONLY otbacco smoke, and not other types of smoke that men women and children breathe in on a daily basis?
Well, I'm heard the term "stop blowing smoke up my a--," but this is virgin territory for me.
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