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Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy predicts drug use via externalizing behavior in two community‐based samples of adolescents
Author(s) -
Lotfipour Shahrdad,
Ferguson Eamonn,
Leonard Gabriel,
Miettunen Jouko,
Perron Michel,
Pike G. Bruce,
Richer Louis,
Séguin Jean R.,
Veillette Suzanne,
Jarvelin MarjoRiitta,
Moilanen Irma,
Mäki Pirjo,
Nordström Tanja,
Pausova Zdenka,
Veijola Juha,
Paus Tomáš
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/add.12665
Subject(s) - cohort , pregnancy , medicine , confidence interval , mediation , cohort study , drug , cigarette smoking , demography , multivariate analysis , substance use , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , genetics , sociology , political science , law , biology
Background and Aims Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking ( PEMCS ) is associated with a higher probability of substance use in adolescence. We explore if externalizing behavior mediates this relationship, while controlling for a number of potential covariates of this mediation process. Methods We used data obtained in two geographically distinct community samples of adolescents. The first (cross‐sectional) sample consisted of 996 adolescents (12–18 years of age) recruited from the S aguenay Y outh S tudy ( SYS ) in C anada (47% with PEMCS ). The second (longitudinal) sample consisted of 1141 adolescents (49% with PEMCS ) from the N orthern F inland B irth C ohort ( NFBC 1986). In both samples, externalizing behavior and substance use were assessed during adolescence. In the NFBC 1986 cohort, externalizing behavior was also assessed in childhood. Results In both populations, PEMCS is associated with a higher likelihood of adolescent drug experimentation. In the NFBC 1986 cohort, exposed (versus non‐exposed) adolescents experiment with an extra 1.27 [B = 0.24, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.15, 0.33 P < 0.001] drugs. In the SYS cohort, a clear protective effect of not being exposed is shown: non‐exposed (versus exposed) adolescents are 1.5 times [B = −0.42, 95% CI = −0.75, −0.09, P = 0.013] less likely to take drugs. These associations between PEMCS and drug experimentation remain in the multivariate and mediational analyses. Conclusions Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking appears to be associated with a higher probability of experimenting with drugs during adolescence, both directly and indirectly via externalizing behavior and the number of peers reported as using drugs.