Strengthening the case: prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with increased risk for conduct disorder.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between alcohol exposure in pregnancy and offspring conduct disorder symptoms in adolescence and to examine how much this increasingly known association may be mediated by maternal and paternal externalizing diagnoses, including lifetime maternal and paternal alcohol and drug abuse/dependence diagnoses as well as antisocial disorders. Few other studies have examined the contribution of these diagnoses across both parents.


METHODS
A population sample of 1252 adolescents (53.8% female; drawn from the Minnesota Twin Family Study) as well as both of their parents completed structured diagnostic interviews to generate lifetime psychiatric diagnoses; mothers were also retrospectively interviewed about alcohol and nicotine use during pregnancy. Linear regression models were used to test the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on adolescents' conduct-disorder symptoms.


RESULTS
Prenatal exposure to alcohol was associated with higher levels of conduct-disorder symptoms in offspring, even after statistically controlling for the effects of parental externalizing disorders (illicit substance use disorders, alcohol dependence, and antisocial/behavioral disorders), prenatal nicotine exposure, monozygosity, gestational age, and birth weight.


CONCLUSIONS
Prenatal alcohol exposure contributes to increased risk for conduct disorder in offspring.
Disney
Elizabeth R
ER
Chase Brexton Health Services, 1001 Cathedral St, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. edisney@alumni.virginia.edu
Iacono
William
W
McGue
Matthew
M
Tully
Erin
E
Legrand
Lisa
L
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020751:Alcohol-Induced Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index