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Excited to share our new American Journal of Psychiatry paper with #academictwitter #academicchatter
We examined the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on child development in >9,700 youth
Key message: There is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy
A thread-
We examined the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on child development in >9,700 youth
Key message: There is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy
A thread-
Press release: https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/09/25/low-level-alcohol-use-during-pregnancy-can-impact-childs-brain.html
The impact of low-level alcohol use (1-2 drinks/occasion, 6 drinks max/week) during pregnancy on child development is relatively unknown. Previous studies have had small samples & not always adjusted for other confounding factors
It’s so important to examine as many women drink low levels of alcohol during pregnancy
Eg - latest stats in Aus suggest around 1 in 2 women drink at some stage during pregnancy (often before knowing they are pregnant), with majority consuming low levels
Eg - latest stats in Aus suggest around 1 in 2 women drink at some stage during pregnancy (often before knowing they are pregnant), with majority consuming low levels
We used ABCD Study data, where 1 in 4 9-10 yr olds had been exposed to alcohol in utero.
We looked at alcohol exposure in a variety of ways – any exposure at any stage in utero (at least 1 standard drink), total exposure across 40 weeks, common patterns of exposure across 40wks
We looked at alcohol exposure in a variety of ways – any exposure at any stage in utero (at least 1 standard drink), total exposure across 40 weeks, common patterns of exposure across 40wks
Associations with psychological, behavioural and neurodevelopmental outcomes were examined
KEY FINDING: Any alcohol use during any stage of pregnancy impacted the child’s brain development (brain structure) and this was linked to emotional (anxiety, depression, withdrawn) and behavioural problems (impulsivity, attention problems) at baseline & 1-yr later
As low as 1-2 drinks/week at any stage in pregnancy can impact a child’s development
Slightly heavier exposure (3+ drinks/occasion) during early pregnancy (first 6-7wks) was associated with higher odds of ADHD (+25%) and oppositional defiant disorder (+30%) diagnoses by age 10, compared to no exposure
The analyses accounted for other factors too: birth weight, gestational age, sex, race/ethnicity, youth age, school performance, maternal age at birth, maternal depression, other substance use during pregnancy, socioeconomic status
In the analyses, youth were also nested within families to account for sibling effects and nested within research site / MRI scanner
Sensitivity analyses matched exposed and unexposed youth on all these factors after excluding youth with other in utero exposure (tobacco, cannabis, cocaine, heroin) & maternal depression
Even when accounting for all of these factors/matching youth, any alcohol use during pregnancy was still a robust predictor of mental health + behavioural problems & altered brain structure in childhood
In sum – the data indicates there is no safe level of alcohol consumption from conception throughout pregnancy. Therefore, even when planning pregnancy, the safest option is to abstain from drinking
Thanks to my amazing co-authors @LouiseMewton Joanna Jacobus @eavaladezphd @LexineStapinski @MareeTeesson Susan Tapert, Lindsay Squeglia
Thanks also to the reviewers who provided super helpful feedback!
Thanks also to the reviewers who provided super helpful feedback!
