1. The roles of familial transmission and smoking during pregnancy on executive function skills: A sibling-comparison study.
- Author
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Knopik, Valerie S., Micalizzi, Lauren, Marceau, Kristine, Loviska, Amy M., Yu, Li, Bien, Alexandra, Rolan, Emily, Evans, Allison S., Palmer, Rohan H. C., and Heath, Andrew C.
- Subjects
TEENAGE pregnancy ,EXECUTIVE function ,VISUAL memory ,RESPONSE inhibition ,PREGNANCY ,BIRTH certificates - Abstract
This research examines maternal smoking during pregnancy and risk for poorer executive function in siblings discordant for exposure. Data (N = 173 families) were drawn from the Missouri Mothers and Their Children study, a sample, identified using birth records (years 1998–2005), in which mothers changed smoking behavior between two pregnancies (Child 1 [older sibling]: M
age = 12.99; Child 2 [younger sibling]: Mage = 10.19). A sibling comparison approach was used, providing a robust test for the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and different aspects of executive function in early-mid adolescence. Results suggested within-family (i.e., potentially causal) associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy and one working memory task (visual working memory) and one response inhibition task (color-word interference), with increased exposure associated with decreased performance. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was not associated with stop-signal reaction time, cognitive flexibility/set-shifting, or auditory working memory. Initial within-family associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy and visual working memory as well as color-word interference were fully attenuated in a model including child and familial covariates. These findings indicate that exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy may be associated with poorer performance on some, but not all skills assessed; however, familial transmission of risk for low executive function appears more important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2022
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