Objective: To extend previous studies by looking at the effect of the mothe
r's smoking during pregnancy on her toddler's negative behavior.
Design: A survey consisting of a structured questionnaire was administered
to the mothers of 2-year-old toddlers.
Setting: The subjects were drawn from a community sample, as part of a larg
er study of mothers and their children.
Subjects: The subjects were 99 toddlers and their mothers taken from a comm
unity sample. Fifty-two of the mothers smoked throughout pregnancy, while 4
7 either stopped smoking during pregnancy or started smoking after childbir
th.
Measures: The measures consisted of scales with adequate psychometric prope
rties, which, for the most part, were adapted from the literature. Measures
included assessment of smoking behavior, the mother's personality/behavior
, perinatal variables, demographic variables, and aspects of the mother-chi
ld relationship.
Results: Using logistic regression analyses, maternal smoking during pregna
ncy was found to be related to negativity in the child, controlling for dem
ographic factors, perinatal factors, maternal personality attributes, and t
he mother-child relationship.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that maternal smoking during pregnancy ha
s an adverse effect on the child's negativity, and that a decrease in mater
nal smoking during pregnancy might be expected to lead to a decrease in the
child's negativity. The relationship of maternal smoking during pregnancy
and early childhood negativity to other problem behaviors remains to be exp
lored.