Projects per year
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Heavy alcohol use during pregnancy can cause considerable developmental problems for children, but effects of light-moderate drinking are uncertain. This study examined possible effects of moderate drinking in pregnancy on children's conduct problems using a Mendelian randomisation design to improve causal inference.
METHODS: A prospective cohort study (ALSPAC) followed children from their mother's pregnancy to age 13 years. Analyses were based on 3,544 children whose mothers self-reported either not drinking alcohol during pregnancy or drinking up to six units per week without binge drinking. Children's conduct problem trajectories were classified as low risk, childhood-limited, adolescence-onset or early-onset-persistent, using six repeated measures of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire between ages 4-13 years. Variants of alcohol-metabolising genes in children were used to create an instrumental variable for Mendelian randomisation analysis.
RESULTS: Children's genotype scores were associated with early-onset-persistent conduct problems (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.04-1.60, p = .020) if mothers drank moderately in pregnancy, but not if mothers abstained from drinking (OR = 0.94, CI = 0.72-1.25, p = .688). Children's genotype scores did not predict childhood-limited or adolescence-onset conduct problems.
CONCLUSIONS: This quasi-experimental study suggests that moderate alcohol drinking in pregnancy contributes to increased risk for children's early-onset-persistent conduct problems, but not childhood-limited or adolescence-onset conduct problems.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 575-584 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Nov 2015 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Moderate alcohol drinking in pregnancy increases risk for children's persistent conduct problems: causal effects in a Mendelian randomisation study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 6 Finished
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Revised: 'Excessive drinking and alcohol related harms in Adulthood: ALSPAC at 24 MR/L022206/1'
Hickman, M. (Principal Investigator)
1/06/15 → 31/05/20
Project: Research
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MRC UoB UNITE Unit - Programme 1
Davey Smith, G. (Principal Investigator)
1/06/13 → 31/03/18
Project: Research
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MRC Fellowship - Prenatal alcohol exposure, childhood development and teenage drinking: a study of trans-generational effects
Zuccolo, L. (Principal Investigator)
30/09/10 → 30/06/16
Project: Research
Profiles
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Professor Matt Hickman
- Bristol Medical School (PHS) - Professor in Public Health and Epidemiology
- Bristol Population Health Science Institute
- Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU)
- Centre for Academic Mental Health
- Infection and Immunity
- Centre for Academic Primary Care
Person: Academic , Member, Group lead
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Professor Sarah J Lewis
- Bristol Medical School (PHS) - Professor of Molecular Epidemiology
- Bristol Population Health Science Institute
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit
- Cancer
Person: Academic , Member