Читать книгу Infants and Children in Context - Tara L. Kuther - Страница 155

Prenatal exposure to cocaine is associated with low birthweight, impaired motor skills, and reduced brain volume at birth and in infancy (Grewen et al., 2014; Gupta, 2017). For example, 1 month after birth, babies who were exposed to cocaine have difficulty regulating their arousal states and show poor movement skills, poor reflexes, and greater excitability (Fallone et al., 2014). Prenatal cocaine exposure has long-term effects on children through its effect on brain development, particularly the regions associated with attention, arousal, regulation, and executive function (Bazinet, Squeglia, Riley, & Tapert, 2016).

Although it was once believed that cocaine-exposed infants would suffer lifelong cognitive deficits, research suggests more subtle effects (Behnke & Smith, 2013; Lambert & Bauer, 2012). Prenatal cocaine exposure has a small but lasting effect on attention and behavioral control, as well as language skills through early adolescence (Buckingham-Howes, Berger, Scaletti, & Black, 2013; Lewis et al., 2013; Singer, Minnes, Min, Lewis, & Short, 2015). However, once home factors (such as parenting and socioeconomic status) are controlled, cocaine-exposed children do not show more behavioral problems in preschool and elementary school (Viteri et al., 2015). However, in adolescence, prenatal exposure to cocaine is associated with behavior problems and substance use (Min, Minnes, Yoon, Short, & Singer, 2014; Richardson, Goldschmidt, Larkby, & Day, 2015). The relationship between cocaine exposure and behavior problems in adolescence is reduced when contextual factors such as home caregiving environment and exposure to violence are controlled, suggesting that the postnatal environment contributes to children’s adjustment (Buckingham-Howes et al., 2013).