Bad behaviour 'linked to smoking'

"Bad behaviour 'linked to smoking'", BBC News, July 31, 2005,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4727197.stm

Women who smoke in pregnancy may raise the risk of their child
displaying anti-social behaviour, researchers say.

There was a "small but significant" link between maternal smoking and
both unruly behaviour and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
they said.

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.

The Institute of Psychiatry work is in the British Journal of
Psychiatry.

The researchers said the findings did not mean unruly behaviour and
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were linked, although
ADHD is known to increase the risk of anti-social behaviour.

Previous work has linked both ADHD and anti-social behaviour with
maternal smoking.

However, it was not clear whether the increased risk of anti-social
behaviour was linked to the ADHD rather than maternal smoking per se.
ADHD is a serious behavioural disorder which experts estimate may
affect up to 6% of children.

People with the condition have a poor attention span and tend to be
impulsive and restless.

ADHD is known to increase the likelihood of anti-social behaviour.

Social factors

But although ADHD is thought to have a strong medical element, social
factors are often blamed for unruly behaviour.

The new work suggests a biological cause for anti-social behaviour.

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.

Overall, a small minority of the children had anti-social behaviour or
ADHD - 4-11%.

Biological

When the researchers looked at the influence of maternal smoking, they
found it contributed in a small but significant way to both disorders.

The average symptom scores for both anti-social behaviour and ADHD
increased with the number of cigarettes smoked by the mother.

They said there were several explanations for the trend, including
direct effects of tobacco smoke on the developing baby.

Lead researcher Dr Tanya Button said: "The most commonly cited one is
the influence of nicotine on brain development in the foetus, possibly
leading to neurological impairment.

"Also, maternal prenatal smoking can reduce the amount of oxygen
getting to the foetus, which may also be detrimental to later
behavioural outcomes."

Although factors other than smoking play a far bigger part in both
conditions, the researchers advised any woman who was pregnant to avoid
smoking.

Commenting on the research, Professor Eric Taylor, also from London's
Institute of Psychiatry, but independent from the research, said: "If
it is showing that there is a biological influence on conduct disorder,
that is useful to know.

"Obviously, we know that pregnant women should not smoke for many
health reasons," said Professor Taylor, who is also an expert for the
ADHD charity ADDISS.

He said: "It's probably dose-related - the more you smoke the greater
the risk is - and it's not just mediated through the personality of the
mother or social disadvantage.

"It's probably a direct effect on the developing babies."

He said it was possible that the mothers were transmitting "anti-social
behaviour" genes to their children.

"Roman Bystrianyk" wrote in message
oups.com...
"Bad behaviour 'linked to smoking'", BBC News, July 31, 2005,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4727197.stm

Women who smoke in pregnancy may raise the risk of their child
displaying anti-social behaviour, researchers say.

Or it could be that women who smoke in pregancy have traits that correlate
with both smoking and antisocial behavior. In other words, this does not
mean that the smoking in pregancy caused the antisocial behavior in their
kids.

A correlation is not the same as causation.

(...)

Jeff

Jeff wrote:

Or it could be that women who smoke in pregancy have traits that correlate
with both smoking and antisocial behavior.

Isn't that a given? Smoking *is* antisocial behaviour.

Jo

"Jo" wrote in message
...
Jeff wrote:

Or it could be that women who smoke in pregancy have traits that
correlate with both smoking and antisocial behavior.

Isn't that a given? Smoking *is* antisocial behaviour.

'Bad behaviour' be damned, it's appalling that a third of the mothers in
what appears to be a fairly random study smoked while pregnant, when the
risks are so well known. There is no link to the full study, so it's
impossible to know how many of those women continued to smoke once they
found out they were pregnant.
A more accurate study would involve a population where the detrimental
effects of smoking in pregnancy were unknown, if such a population still
exists. And that would raise serious ethical questions.
Even if you took that into account, there is a gene that predisposes people
to addiction, and I don't believe anyone has proven yet whether that gene is
linked to other behavioural problems or not.


--
Amy
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/
My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/

"Jeff" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Roman Bystrianyk" wrote in message
oups.com...
"Bad behaviour 'linked to smoking'", BBC News, July 31, 2005,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4727197.stm

Women who smoke in pregnancy may raise the risk of their child
displaying anti-social behaviour, researchers say.

Or it could be that women who smoke in pregancy have traits that correlate
with both smoking and antisocial behavior. In other words, this does not
mean that the smoking in pregancy caused the antisocial behavior in their
kids.

A correlation is not the same as causation.

(...)

Jeff


That was exactly my thought too. I'm a social worker and most of my
low-income, welfare, Medicaid moms smoke. Pregnancy or not. Fact is,
smoking is becoming an indicator of "low socioeconomic status", at least in
the US. So, am I surprised that these are the moms having more kids with
behavioral issues? Not in the least. Many of these moms have behavioral
issues, some of which they self-medicate through nicotine. So, you've got a
mom passing on genetic factors, in a low socioeconomic environment, making
choices she knows is harmful to the pregnancy (continuing to smoke) or is so
uneducated she is unaware of the risks, having children with increased risk
of ADHD and behavioral issues. Take tobacco out of the picture and you've
still got all the risk factors.
The dose dependent part does lend itself to the theory that smoking may have
a causative factor, but that can also be explained by the mother requiring
more nicotine to self-medicate a more severe behavioral issue, or a further
lack of concern about the pregnancy by not trying to reduce the amount of
smoking.
Believe me, I'd love to tell my moms that if they quit smoking while
pregnant (or even around the kids), that they'd be less likely to have to
deal with ADHD, behavioral problem children. Realistically, their kids will
still have the same problems.
What I'd like to see is a study that controls for these factors. Control
group could be moms that smoked until pregnancy and then quit vs. moms who
continued. I think then you'll at least get similar socioeconomic groups,
educational level, access to medical care, and prenatal care. Although, I
suspect the smokers who quit will be more compliant with prenatal health
recommendations, so it wouldn't be a perfect comparison.

Amy

my sister has two kids and she smoked all the time she was PG and there
isnothing wrong with them!!!!
And they sweet children as well as well manered.It not the smoking
that's making children behave badly it the way we parent now. I had my
behind wiped enfough that I knew better than to miss behave. Come on
everyone that was brought up good can tell you that. Use Your Heads
People!!!!!

"julie MT" wrote in message
oups.com...
my sister has two kids and she smoked all the time she was PG and there
isnothing wrong with them!!!!

That's bad 'science', and it used to be used for justifying the 'health
benefits' of smoking. Research has proven the risks of smoking during
pregnancy, but like anything, it doesn't mean _everyone_ who is exposed to
secondhand smoke will suffer serious health problems. The fact that you know
a couple of children who are fine means nothing statistically, all it means
is that your sister and her children are lucky.
Few of the parents whose children _were_ obviously harmed by secondhand
smoke are going to pipe up as you have. It takes someone with a lot of
humility to cry 'Mea culpa' and put their own reputation on the line for the
sake of public health awareness.

And they sweet children as well as well manered.It not the smoking
that's making children behave badly it the way we parent now.

Whether the study is accurate or not, smoking in pregnancy is a _bad thing_.
I suspect as with most things, the truth in this claim lies somewhere in the
middle. Nicotine and the other chemicals present in tobacco probably do have
a detrimental and permanent effect on the developing brain of an unborn
child, but it has probably been over-reported in this study due to other
factors such as genetics, socio-economic status, education levels etc.

I had my
behind wiped enfough that I knew better than to miss behave.

I'm glad of that, and I hope you can wipe your own now ;-)

Use Your Heads
People!!!!!

Too right, use your heads and quit smoking before you TTC. If you discover
you're pregnant, quit smoking. Better still, don't ever start smoking.


--
Amy
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/
My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/

"julie MT" wrote in message
oups.com...
my sister has two kids and she smoked all the time she was PG and there
isnothing wrong with them!!!!
And they sweet children as well as well manered.It not the smoking
that's making children behave badly it the way we parent now. I had my
behind wiped enfough that I knew better than to miss behave. Come on
everyone that was brought up good can tell you that. Use Your Heads
People!!!!!

Yes, that may be true for your sister, but you cannot use one data point and
pretend it is the same for everyone! I have brown hair and eyes - does that
mean everyone does?

And as other posters have suggested, children from lower socio-economic
homes where smoking is prevalent may also be exposed to other anti-social
behaviours and risk factors such as poor nutrition, lack of educational
support and perhaps even physical abuse [are you suggesting you were beaten
every day into compliance by your statement: "I had my behind wiped enfough
[sic] that I knew better than to miss behave [sic]"] . We teachers see it
every day.

--
Jacqueline
#1 Due any day now...

Jeff wrote:
"Roman Bystrianyk" wrote in message
oups.com...
"Bad behaviour 'linked to smoking'", BBC News, July 31, 2005,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4727197.stm

Women who smoke in pregnancy may raise the risk of their child
displaying anti-social behaviour, researchers say.

Or it could be that women who smoke in pregancy have traits that correlate
with both smoking and antisocial behavior. In other words, this does not
mean that the smoking in pregancy caused the antisocial behavior in their
kids.

A correlation is not the same as causation.

(...)

I don't know what, or if this proves much... but my first child by my first
husband does not have ADHD. My second child by my second husband has ADHD.
My parenting methods are, and have been, the same for both. We don't smoke.
Aside from postnatal depression, I am reasonably mentally healthy (and had
worse and longer untreated PND with my first child, not my second) We are
not, nor have we ever been 'well off' financially. It has always been a
struggle but we manage. There are house rules. There are limits set. My
children don't run wild at all times of day and night, and for the most part
(no one is perfect) I know where they are and what they are up to.

The only causal difference I can see? My first husband did not have ADHD. He
was raised in a very poor household with 4 siblings, strong moral guidance,
and his parents never smoked. My second husband has ADHD. He was also raised
in a very poor household with 4 siblings, strong moral guidance and his
parents never smoked.

I'm not saying socio-economic factors don't take their toll /as well/, but I
believe whole point about ADHD is that it is what can be diagnosed *after
all other possible causes have been ruled out* (bad parenting, sleep apnoea
etc) which would cause similar/the same symptoms. If you can eliminate the
childs 'ADHD' like behaviour by changing their upbringing/socio-economic
position/quality of parenting, then it ain't ADHD. IMO.

--
Grymma AFPOh Goddess Of Hangovers; B.F.(use 'reply to')
I feel much better, now that I've given up hope.

" I'm not saying socio-economic factors don't take their toll /as well/,
but I
believe whole point about ADHD is that it is what can be diagnosed *after
all other possible causes have been ruled out* (bad parenting, sleep
apnoea etc) which would cause similar/the same symptoms. If you can
eliminate the childs 'ADHD' like behaviour by changing their
upbringing/socio-economic position/quality of parenting, then it ain't
ADHD. IMO.


I totally agree, unfortunately the ADHD diagnosis is used pretty
indiscriminately for behavioral issues. My suspicion is that this study
took pre-existing ADHD diagnoses (many of which may have been more
behavioral in nature), instead of doing thorough medical screenings to look
for organic ADHD. Behavioral issues are, unfortunately, highly linked to
socioeconomic factors. I plead guilty to perpetuating misdiagnosis of kids
with ADHD because it's the only way I can get some of them school and
behavioral services. You gotta have a diagnosis, and ADHD is an easy one to
come by.

Amy