1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Using a representative birth cohort of children born in the province of Quebec, we examine the hypothesis that exposure to gestational tobacco smoke is associated with higher impulsivity and lower levels of classroom engagement by age 10. In the present study, we are interested in estimating the independent contribution of perinatal tobacco exposure on later cognitive control skills.» (p. 2)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Analyses were conducted using data from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD). […] Participants were included in the analytical sample if they had complete data on maternal reports of perinatal smoking (n=2110 from the original sample at 5-months).» (p. 3)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

À la suite de leurs recherches, les auteures constatent que «children of mothers who smoked heavily during gestation were rated as more impulsive by fourth grade teachers than children whose mother’s did not smoke […]. Our adjusted model assessing both outcomes, controls for child sex, concurrent age in months, child exposure to perinatal drinking and exposure to elicit drugs, weight-for-gestational age, socioeconomic status, family configuration, parent antisocial symptoms and maternal involvement, responsiveness, depressive symptoms, and age at child’s birth.» Elles en concluent que «exposure to gestational smoke was associated with behavioral problems 10 years later. Compared to their non-exposed counterparts, children exposed to 10 cigarettes or more per day during gestation (14% of our population-based sample) were rated by their teachers as showing more signs of behavioral impulsivity and lower levels of task-orientation and compliance. […] From a developmental perspective, risks associated with perinatal tobacco exposure are likely to culminate in the experience of increased difficulty in the academic context. An increase in personal dispositions towards costly impulsive behavior also augments the risk for the adoption of risky healthrelated behavior.» (p. 3)