Sleep problems in children with prenatal substance exposure: the Maternal Lifestyle study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the associations between sleep problems and prenatal exposure to cocaine, opiates, marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine in children aged 1 month to 12 years.


METHODS
Sleep data were collected by maternal report in a prospective longitudinal follow-up of children participating in the Maternal Lifestyle multisite study.


METHODS
Hospital-based research centers in Providence, Rhode Island; Miami, Florida; Detroit, Michigan; and Memphis, Tennessee.


METHODS
There were 808 participants, 374 exposed to cocaine and/or opiates, and 434 comparison subjects.


METHODS
Prenatal cocaine, opiate, marijuana, alcohol, and/or nicotine exposure.


METHODS
Sleep problems in early, middle, and/or late childhood, assessed as composites of maternal report items.


RESULTS
Of the 5 substances, prenatal nicotine exposure was the only unique predictor of sleep problems (B = 0.074, R(2) change = 0.008, P = .01), with adjustment for covariates, including socioeconomic status, marital status, physical abuse, prenatal medical care, and postnatal cigarette smoke exposure.


CONCLUSIONS
Prenatal exposure to nicotine was positively associated with children's sleep problems persisting throughout the first 12 years of life. Targeting of this group of children for educational and behavioral efforts to prevent and treat sleep problems is merited given that good sleep may serve as a protective factor for other developmental outcomes.
Stone
Kristen C
KC
Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infants Hospital, 101 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02905, USA. kristen_stone@brown.edu
LaGasse
Linda L
LL
Lester
Barry M
BM
Shankaran
Seetha
S
Bada
Henrietta S
HS
Bauer
Charles R
CR
Hammond
Jane A
JA
D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009294:Narcotics / Q000494:pharmacology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D002186:Cannabinoids; D009294:Narcotics; D000431:Ethanol; D009538:Nicotine; D003042:Cocaine