Professor Richard Layte and Dr Cathal McCrory: Lunchtime Seminar - Prenatal Smoking and Childhood Behavioural Problems: A Quasi-Experimental Approach
Friday 9th December 11
Venue: Room 02.525, School of Psychology, David Keir Building
Start Time: 13:00 - End Time: 14:00
Abstract:
This retrospective cross-sectional paper examines the relationship between maternal prenatal smoking and children’s behavioural problems at nine years of age independent of a wide range of possible confounders. The final sample comprised 7,502 children participating in the Growing Up in Ireland study who were selected through the Irish school system and were representative of the nine year population. Information on maternal smoking in pregnancy was obtained retrospectively at nine years of age and children’s behavioural problems were assessed contemporaneously using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A quasi-experimental approach using propensity score matching was used to create treatment (smoking) and control (non-smoking) groups which did not differ significantly in their propensity to smoke in terms of sixteen observed characteristics. In unmatched analyses children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were 2.04 times more likely to score above the 90th percentile on the SDQ total difficulties index compared with those who did not smoke (15.3% v 7.5%, P<0.001). After matching on the propensity score, the treatment group were 1.3 times as likely (15.1% v 11.6%) but the difference remains highly significant (P<0.01). Analysis of the dose-response relationship showed that the differential between matched treatment and control groups increased with level of maternal smoking.
