Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov;61(7):1022-1034.
doi: 10.1002/dev.21844. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Prenatal exposure to tobacco and marijuana and child autonomic regulation and reactivity: An analysis of indirect pathways via maternal psychopathology and parenting

Pamela Schuetze  1   2 , Junru Zhao  2 , Rina D Eiden  3 , Shannon Shisler  3 , Marilyn A Huestis  4
Affiliations

Prenatal exposure to tobacco and marijuana and child autonomic regulation and reactivity: An analysis of indirect pathways via maternal psychopathology and parenting

Pamela Schuetze et al. Dev Psychobiol. 2019 Nov.

Abstract

We examined a conceptual model for the associations of prenatal exposure to tobacco (PTE) and marijuana with child reactivity/regulation at 16 months of age. We hypothesized that PTE would be associated with autonomic reactivity and regulation that these associations would be indirect via maternal anger/hostility, depression/stress, or harsh parenting assessed at 2 months and that these effects would be most pronounced among children exposed to both tobacco and marijuana (PTME). Participants were 247 dyads (81 PTE, 97 PTME, and 69 nonexposed) who were followed up at 2 (N = 247) and 16 months (N = 238) of child age. Results from model testing indicated an indirect association between PTME and autonomic functioning during the second year of life, which was mediated by harsh parenting during caregiver-infant interactions. This study fills an important gap in the literature on PTE, PTME, and autonomic regulation during the toddler years, highlighting the role of maternal parenting as important intervening variables.

Keywords: autonomic reactivity/regulation; maternal psychopathology; prenatal marijuana exposure; prenatal tobacco exposure; respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Hypothesized model
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Final model
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Allen AM, Prince CB, & Dietz PM (2009). Postpartum depressive symptoms and smoking relapse. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 36, 9–12. 10.1016/j.amepre.2008.09.020 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Almond D, & Currie J (2011). Killing me softly: The fetal origins hypothesis. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 25, 153–172. 10.1257/jep.25.3.153 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ansell EB, Laws HB, Roche MJ, & Sinha R (2015). Effects of marijuana use on impulsivity and hostility in daily life. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 148, 136–142. 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.12.029 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arbuckle JL (1996). Full information estimation in the presence of incomplete data. In Marcoulides GA, & Schumacker RE (Eds.), Advanced structural equation modeling: Issues and techniques (pp. 243–277). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
    1. Beauchaine T (2001). Vagal tone, development, and Gray’s motivational theory: Toward an integrated model of autonomic nervous system functioning in psychopathology. Development & Psychopathology, 13, 183–214. 10.1017/S0954579401002012 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types