Associations between prenatal alcohol exposure and parent‐reported sleep disturbances in 10,336 adolescents: an Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: This study investigated the associations between prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), including low and moderate levels of exposure, and parent-reported sleep disturbances during adolescence. This is an area that remains understudied despite evidence linking PAE, particularly heavy PAE, to poor sleep in younger children and the growing recognition of harms associated with low levels of PAE. METHODS: Participants were 10,336 adolescents (aged 12-13) from the fourth assessment wave of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Cross-sectional generalised linear mixed models and generalised additive mixed models were used to assess the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure, conceptualised as the presence or absence of PAE, total drinks consumed during pregnancy (i.e. dose) and patterns of PAE (i.e. abstainers, light reducing, light stable, heavy reducing), on parent-reported adolescent sleep disturbances, while controlling for important birth related, environmental and medical factors. RESULTS: Adolescents with any PAE experienced worse overall parent-reported sleep disturbances compared to those without, with sleep-wake transitions, excessive somnolence and sleep breathing being the domains most impacted. There was limited support for a dose-response relationship between low-level PAE and sleep problems in adolescence. However, those with a pattern of PAE before knowledge of pregnancy, compared to abstainers, experienced greater problems with sleep-wake transitions and sleep breathing. CONCLUSIONS: These findings contribute to the growing evidence that there are no safe levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as even low to moderate PAE negatively impacts adolescent sleep. Identifying sleep-wake transitions, excessive somnolence and sleep breathing as the most affected domains provides targets for both screening and intervention.
DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.70165
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,530
Awards: Innovative solutions to prevent and treat the vicious cycle of anxiety and alcohol use, G3149071752, Mentoring Clinical Investigators in Patient-Oriented Adolescent Alcohol Research, G578654495, G8393755358, 9/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT U MICHIGAN, 20/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT VCU, 3/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT U MINNESOTA, 4/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT FIU, 7/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT YALE, 17/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT UCLA, 15/21 ABCD-USA Consortium: Research Project Site at LIBR, 16/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, 8/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT CHLA, ABCD-USA Consortium: Coordinating Center, 6/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT OHSU, 10/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT SRI, 12/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT U PITTSBURGH, 19/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT UVM, 1/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT U UTAH, 11/21 ABCD-USA Consortium: Research Project Site at UWM, ABCD-USA Consortium: Data Analysis, Informatics and Resource Center, 21/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT WUSTL, 13/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT MUSC, 5/21 ABCD-USA Consortium: Research Project Site at UC San Diego, 18/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, 2/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT UMB, 14/21 ABCD-USA Consortium: Research Project Site at CU Boulder
OpenAlex ID: W7162017005