Effects of Alcohol and Nicotine on Fetal Development and Child Psychological Development: According to the Teratogenic Effect

Effects may vary depending on family structure, manifesting differently in individual family members; According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse both alcohol and drugs can have dramatic negative effects on a developing fetus. They have been linked with premature birth, decreased head circumference, brain functioning difficulties and low

The use of illicit drugs and abuse of alcohol exact a steep price from our society. Substance abuse is a factor in many serious ills such as crime. More upsetting, however, is the affects that it has on children born affected from their dependent mothers. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 60 percent of women of childbearing age consume alcoholic beverages despite the fact that alcohol consumption during pregnancy is implicated in a wide range of birth defects and developmental disabilities, including mental retardation, physical abnormalities, and visual and auditory impairments. (Nevitt, 1996)

Lastly, Cadoret et al. (1996) conducted one of the first studies that was in fact able to isolate the influence of environmental exposures from potential genetic confounds. In addition to family studies and adoption studies, there have been numerous large-scale twin studies with the aim of examining the role of genetics in susceptibility to addiction. However, the majority of the twin studies conducted have examined the heritability of alcohol abuse and dependence and have not examined the heritable influences on illicit drug use disorders. Past research such as the study by McGue (1998), indicate that the estimates of heritability of alcohol/abuse dependence have ranged from 50%-70%.

Sood, B., Delaney-Black, V., Covington, C., Nordstrom-Klee, B., Ager, J., Templin, T., . . . Sokol, R. J. (2001). Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Childhood Behavior at Age 6 to 7 Years: I. Dose-Response Effect. Pediatrics, 108(2). doi:10.1542/peds.108.2.e34

Even though there are many studies that highlight the damaging effects of maternal alcohol use on a fetus in utero, there are a multitude of other substances that are used by pregnant mothers that have similar and even, in some cases, more extreme repercussions such as marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. When speaking about pregnancy and drug use, the most common drug that comes to mind is alcohol. During 12 years of schooling, most people are exposed, at one point or another, to the idea of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the detrimental effects of alcohol on a fetus in utero. The effects of maternal use of the aforementioned illicit drugs is less studied, partially because they are used less frequently. It is important, however, that as a population, we become more educated about these drugs and the potentially life threatening outcomes for babies in utero.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (known as FASD), is a term which encompasses a wide variety of negative health consequences as a result of exposure to alcohol while in the womb (Williams, 2006). This exposure has the potential to cause severe, permanent brain damage leading to cognitive and behavioural deficiencies throughout childhood and adolescence (Brown et al., 2015). FASD only occurs within the general population of North America in approximately 9.1 out of every 1000 births (McLachlan et al., 2014). However, this condition is much more prevalent in individuals involved in various stages of the justice system, affecting between 10% and 23% (McLachlan et al., 2014). This paper aims to explain how FASD affects a juvenile’s brain

The effects of excessive alcohol consumption has been proven to have had negative and persistent effects on babies, born from mothers who have consumed alcohol throughout their pregnancy, evidence linking that low to moderate amounts have put the fetus at risk for delays and have lifelong complications. (Nathanson, & O'Brien, 2000)

Biology and genetics influence substance abuse and addiction. According to Prescott, Madden, and Stallings, (2006), a number of obstacles confront researchers considering genetic influences on substance-related behavior. Preliminary there is a significant discrepancy across civilizations and archival periods in the prevalence and classifications of substance use (i.e., cocaine, alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, or heroin). A person’s biology is a determination in the addiction of risk. For example, Prescott, Madden, and Stallings (2006) assert many studies indicate increased rates of alcoholism among adopted males; although he is not influenced by his own biological parents (p. 475; see Cadoret et al. 1985; see Cloninger et al. 1981). It has been suggested that twins (e.g., adults) are most likely to inherit smoking dependence. Various studies throughout countries study variables (e.g., age and gender) according to Prescott, Madden, and Stallings (2006).

Sood, B. Delaney-Black, V. (2001). Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Childhood Behavior at Age 6 to 7 Years: I. Dose- Response Effect.

The topic chosen is the effect of exposure to alcohol prenatally on brain development. This topic is important because fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have had an estimated prevalence of 1 in 100 and represent the top source of avoidable developmental disability in North America (Treit et al., 2013). Many children diagnosed with a disorder of this type experience many developmental delays and fall behind there peers both cognitively and socially.

The main theory is that “Prenatal exposure to alcohol is associated with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) as well as other alcohol- related neurodevelopmental disorders (ARND) that are expressed as developmental, disabilities, behavior, and learning problems (Stratton, Howe, & Battaglia, (1996).” The authors’ theory was based on a survey issued by Barr, Kogan, and Bookstein (1996). The survey was issued to 441 clients which revealed that 60% of those patients who were 12 years or older, had either been expelled, suspended or dropped out. This common finding among them were called disrupted school experiences. After evaluating the surveys, authors saw a correlation between academic problems and disruptions in school experiences. 70% seemed to have attention problems, 40% received special education services, and 65% were reported to have received some kind of remedial help in reading and mathematics when in school. The research by Barr, Kogan, and Bookstein (1996) helped them form the hypothesis that “those affected by prenatal exposure would show decreased intellectual abilities, have special learning deficiencies in math with a relative

Statistics show that an estimated 5.9 percent of women use drugs, 15.9 percent smoke cigarettes, and 8.5 percent drink alcohol at least once during pregnancy, according to a study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2013). If drug and alcohol use by a pregnant woman continues and goes unnoticed by family members or doctors, the mental and physical development of their child has the potential to be extremely severe (Brady, Posner, Lang, Rosati, 1994). In this current paper, the effects of prenatal exposure to illicit drugs, non-illicit drugs, and alcohol on language development are investigated. The illicit drugs that will be investigated include marijuana, MDMA, and cocaine. Non-illicit drugs

Children can be subjected to the negative effects of parental substance use in a variety of different ways. For example, substance use during pregancy can cause detrimental outcomes for newborn infants by placing them at a higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), being born with birth defects, developing behavioral and developmental delays, being born premature, etc. Children with addicted parents, are placed at a higher risk of: lacking appropriate supervision; lacking basic needs such as: food, clothing, housing, and medical care; exposure to violence; developing substance abuse issues themselves.

The impact of biological factors on EBD is significant as many of the factors can create considerable limitations due to delayed growth or damage to the brain, often before at birth (Merrick, Merrick, Morad, & Kandel, 2006). Biological factors include medical concerns early in the child’s life, including prematurity, low birth weight, and developmental set backs(Nelson et al, 2007). Children who were exposed to alcohol or drugs before being born can be at danger of compromised health and neurological damage, which are high risk factors (Brady, Posner, Lang, and Rosati, 1994). In a nutshell, research now tells that us that their is a definite relationship that exists between prenatal drug exposure and childhood emotional or behavioral disorders

When someone says, “You get that laugh or that smile from your father or your mother.” You don’t always believe them, but in some studies today it is said that if your parents or anyone in your family has a history of a drug addiction those traits in their genes have a decent chance of being passed down to the children causing problems for them later in life. According to the Drugs and Addiction article in the 2009 Addiction Journal, “Family, twin and adoption studies suggest that the heritability of substance use disorders is moderate to