Attentional response at eight weeks in prenatally drug-exposed and preterminfants

To evaluate the effect of prenatal polydrug exposure on infant attention, 1 05 8-week-old African-American infants were presented a series of stimuli a nd their heart rates (HRs) were recorded. Infants were identified postnatal ly based on mothers' substance use. Four groups were tested: 1) preterm dru g-exposed infants (n = 25); 2) full-term, drug-exposed (n = 32); 3) preterm nonexposed (n = 22); and 4) full-term, nonexposed (n = 26). Preterm infant s' ages were corrected. Infant's baseline HRs were recorded and then stimul i presented in the following order: auditory (rattle), visual (red ring), a nd social (examiner's face and voice). There were no HR differences at base line or in auditory or visual conditions. However, significant differences (F(2, 103) = 6.54, p < 0.01) were seen in response to social stimuli. Drug- exposed infants showed an acceleratory HR indicating distress or arousal an d control infants showed a deceleratory response indicating focused attenti on and there was an interaction due to greater HR response in preterms. Hie rarchical regression indicated cocaine (R-2 = 0.034, p < 0.05) but not othe r drug use and instability in parenting (R-2 = 0.137, p < 0.001) accounted for the observed differences. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights res erved.