Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have found clinical evidence that prenatal exposure to harmful substances leads to a significantly increased risk of psychiatric or behavioral problems for the child. The retrospective study was conducted on 9,290 children aged 9-10 with a history of major neurological disorders and living in 21 different communities. It was found that children subjected to 2-6 adverse exposures (unplanned pregnancy, maternal use of alcohol , tobacco, or marijuana before pregnancy, complications during pregnancy, and complications during labor and delivery) had clinically significant scores on the child behavior checklist (CBCL).
The CBCL score is commonly used to assess dimensional psychopathology syndromes. This novel study documented the cumulative effects of such exposures. Children without adverse exposures during the fetal stage had a 7% chance of…
